FURTHER DETAILS

Hand signed in pencil lower right
Numbered in pencil lower left

Printed by Aldo and Piero Crommelynck
Published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, 1967

Bibliografia: Bloch 1137; Baer 1134Bb

The theme of the artist in his studio was a recurring subject throughout Pablo Picasso’s career. Departing from the traditional image of the studio as a private space for concentration and work, Picasso transforms it into a dynamic setting populated by models, spectators, and imagined or mythological figures. These compositions blur the line between observation and invention, offering a reflection on the act of creation itself.

In Neo-Classical Painter in his Studio, a painter wearing a Greek fez stands before his easel. Facing him are two smaller nude models, male and female, while two larger figures—a bearded man and a young warrior in a Corinthian helmet—observe the scene. The canvas, shown in profile and hidden from view, directs attention to the relationship between artist and subjects, dissolving distinctions between the real and the imagined. The varying scale of the figures introduces a dreamlike quality, evoking the interplay between memory, myth, and artistic vision.

The etching was executed on 27 November 1963 at Mas Notre Dame de Vie, Picasso’s home in Mougins, southern France, where he had lived with his wife Jacqueline since 1961. It was printed by Aldo and Piero Crommelynck, former collaborators of Roger Lacourière in Paris, who relocated to Mougins in 1963 and became Picasso’s principal printers for the rest of his life.

From the original copper plate, three trial proofs were pulled. The plate was subsequently steel-faced and published by Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris, in 1967, in an edition of fifteen artist’s proofs and fifty signed and numbered impressions.

Work framed and ready to hang. Wooden frame, entirely handmade by Franco Ristori Artisan Workshop, Florence, Italy.