“If bullfighters… managed to inspire such artists as Goya and Picasso, they can rest content, having accomplished an important mission”
—Luis Miguel Dominiguin, matador
A quintessential Spanish spectacle characterised by drama, violence and machismo – the corrida, or bullfight, was of enduring fascination to Pablo Picasso. Much alike Francisco de Goya and Fernando Botero, Picasso was captivated by the tauro and picador motif, returning to it repeatedly throughout his career. His interpretation of this popular motif was multifaceted; he explored its heroism, vulnerability, and the emotional intensity of man’s encounter with the formidable bull. In this exploration, the bull becomes the physical embodiment of Picasso’s and, by extension, all of mankind’s split personality: conscience and civility versus an underlying animal instinct that begets lust and violence.
The traditional Spanish corrida is divided into three acts known as suertes, which were documented by Antonio Carnicero in his 1787-90 series of etchings entitled Colección de las principales suertes de una corrida de toros (Collection of the main acts of a bullfight). In the present lot, Picasso presents the climactic suerte in which the picador stabs the bull with his pique. The visceral nature of this moment is indicated by the red brushmarks between the horse and bull, which evoke a gruesome pool of blood. Nonetheless, amidst the violent triumph of man over beast that takes place in this scene, the bull remains notably stoic. As the bull stands face-to-face with the picador, not yet defeated, we are led to ponder the distinction, or lack thereof, between man and beast.
In the mid-1940s, Picasso's love for the bullfight surged simultaneously with his new-found passion for the medium of clay. Following WWII and the Nazi Occupation of France, Picasso sought solace in the South, establishing a studio at Madoura pottery atelier in the charming village of Vallauris. There, Picasso not only immersed himself in the art of pottery but also found inspiration once again in bullfighting. He frequently attended bullfights held in Nîmes and Arles and, on the first Sunday in August from 1954 to 1960, a corrida was hosted in the Vallauris village square, presided over by Picasso himself. At Madoura, the age-old medium of clay offered Picasso a new artistic avenue to explore and invigorate. The present lot echoes elements of historic ceramics, such as the vignettes of hunting scenes depicted in medieval Spanish plates, to the oval form and blue hues of English Staffordshire dishes. Combined with the corrida subject matter, this unique Picador plate showcases Picasso’s ability to seamlessly blend traditional techniques with his signature draughtsmanship and contemporary vigour.
One of the most dominant and influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso was a master of endless reinvention. While significantly contributing to the movements of Surrealism, Neoclassicism and Expressionism, he is best known for pioneering the groundbreaking movement of Cubism alongside fellow artist Georges Braque in the 1910s. In his practice, he drew on African and Iberian visual culture as well as the developments in the fast-changing world around him.
Throughout his long and prolific career, the Spanish-born artist consistently pushed the boundaries of art to new extremes. Picasso's oeuvre is famously characterized by a radical diversity of styles, ranging from his early forays in Cubism to his Classical Period and his later more gestural expressionist work, and a diverse array of media including printmaking, drawing, ceramics and sculpture as well as theater sets and costumes designs.
1949 Unique white earthenware rectangular dish painted in colours, engraved and glazed. 32 x 38 cm (12 5/8 x 14 7/8 in.) With the Madoura Plein Feu pottery stamp on the underside.