PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973), Le Repas Frugal

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Le Repas Frugal
etching with drypoint, on Van Gelder paper, 1904, Baer's second (final) state, from the edition of 250 on this paper, (there were also 27 or 29 impressions on Japon paper), published by A. Vollard, Paris, with full margins, in generally very good condition, framed
Image: 18 1/8 x 14 ¾ in. (460 x 375 mm.)
Sheet: 25 7/8 x 20 in. (657 x 508 mm.)

Pre-Lot Text
Many collections display common threads, but few are as tightly defined and well curated as this one. States of Mind focuses on just three modern masters – Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, and Henri Matisse. While each of these artists produced hundreds of prints throughout their lifetimes, this collection concentrates on select master graphics that defined the artists’ printed oeuvres.
The Henri Matisse prints in States of Mind come from the artist’s Nice period. While living on the French Rivera from 1920 to 1927, Matisse was highly productive and created some of his most complete and complicated lithographs. Included are the three large odalisques: Nu au coussin bleu, Nu au coussin bleu à côte d’une cheminée, and Grand odalisque à la culotte bayadère. Each lithograph is a careful meditation on Henriette Darricarrère, one of the artist’s frequent models, in a single pose. Matisse often used his models to explore a variety of poses, and like so many of his other successful odalisque works, these prints evoke a mood of languid relaxation.
By contrast, the Edvard Munch prints in States of Mind do not elicit a sense of calm or relaxation as the collection contains key examples from the artist’s Frieze of Life series. In the early 1890s, Munch began what would become his perpetually evolving reflection on love, loss, insecurity, and death. These motifs can be seen in works from the collection such as Madonna, Vampyr, Asche, and Angst. Also evident in States of Mind is the artist’s mastery of printing techniques and his use of the medium to further explore these recurrent themes. Munch discovered that a lithograph printed monochromatically evokes a discernably different mood than the same stone printed with the addition of sickly and haunting colors. The collector skillfully selected works that display Munch’s ability to manipulate an image in order to conjure a wide range of emotions from a single motif.
Finally, the Pablo Picasso prints in States of Mind come from just a few of the many different important periods in the artist’s life. Picasso had a long and prolific career, which makes his print oeuvre difficult to define overall. Le Repas Frugal, for example, is one of the artist’s first etchings. The now iconic image reveals the artist's feelings for humanity and portrays a sense of despondency and isolation that is typical of his work at this time. Meanwhile, the Faune Dévoilant une femme and Minotaur Caressant Une Dormeuse, from La Suite Vollard, show Picasso reflecting on himself as both a man and a monster.
Each of these artists grappled to express and perfect their vision in the print medium. Matisse depicted one of his favorite models in the same leisurely pose as a part of his relentless pursuit to express a single mood. Munch returned tirelessly to the specific motifs of love, loss, insecurity, and death as a way to explore and evolve his vision. Picasso wrestled more than any other artist to effectively communicate his vision through a range of printed images. By focusing on specific works that were central to the artists’ printed oeuvres, States of Mind is a unique testament to these three modern masters.