Pablo Picasso's Autobiographical Masterpiece - Le Peintre

Brimming with painterly verve, Le Peintre is both an exuberant homage to the craft Picasso devoted his life to and a reflective exploration of his identity as an artist. Recently included in the prestigious Fondation Beyeler exhibition Picasso. Artist and the Model: Last Paintings, the present work portrays one of the great motifs that dominated Picasso’s late œuvre - that of the artist at work. In Le Peintre, Picasso captures the moment of artistic inspiration, expressing the energy of the act of painting through strong, gestural brushstrokes, which delineate the figure of the painter; his face is held close to the canvas in an intense moment of concentration as he brandishes the paintbrush before him.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Picasso threw himself into the theme of the artist at work, producing several canvases that vary between works in which the painter is the sole subject and those in which there is an accompanying model. Although the theme had already been visited by Picasso in his early work – in paintings such as Le Peintre et son modèle of 1926 (Musée Picasso, Paris) or the one of 1928 (Museum of Modern Art, New York) – it was not until the 1960s that the subject acquired a fundamental importance in his art. In 1963, he painted more than fifty works on this subject, revealing his obsession with the study of the vocation of an artist.

Art critic and curator Marie-Laure Bernadac has remarked upon Picasso’s zealous devotion to this theme:

In the present work, however, Picasso eliminates the presence of a model and instead shifts the focus entirely upon the artist. Although not explicitly identified as a self-portrait, the subject of Le Peintre can be read as autobiographical. As in other works in his painter series, Picasso clothes the figure in a blue striped Breton shirt, resembling those he often wore, to reinforce this connection. Picasso also splits the painter’s face in two, duplicating the profile to examine the multiple elements of the painter’s identity. With his yellow hat, palette of primary colours, youthful and naïve expression and stylish goatee, Picasso creates a lively character full of personality.

Beyond a youthful self-portrait, however, this work epitomizes Picasso’s obsession with and admiration for Van Gogh. The 1960s was the period in Picasso’s career when he seems to have been thinking particularly of Van Gogh. He was so fixated on the post-impressionist artist that he carried in his wallet for years the original news article detailing Van Gogh’s self-mutilation of his ear. The present work can be interpreted as a tribute to Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat series from 1887. Picasso’s application of chiaroscuro, the richness and spontaneity of his brushwork, and use of emblems such as the yellow hat are distinctly reminiscent of Van Gogh; it is as though in channelling the spirit of the artist, Picasso was himself rejuvenated in his late years.

The art historian John Richardson, known for his authoritative multi-volume biography on Picasso, writes:

If Van Gogh was Picasso’s patron saint, the Old Masters were his apostles. For him, carrying the painterly mantle of the Old Masters became increasingly important and during the 1960s he devoted a decade to the reinterpretation of the great masters of the past; painting works inspired by Diego Velázquez, Rembrandt van Rijn, El Greco and Francisco Goya. This focus on the Old Masters was a pointed affirmation of his place in the revered lineage of the great figures within art historical canon. Journalist and art historian Hélène Parmelin has spoken of Picasso’s deep understanding of his place within the art history and how the painting of others countered his artistic solitude:

In its allusions to the traditions of the past and its dynamic execution, Le Peintre is a poignant commentary upon Picasso’s awareness of the rich artistic history behind him and a testament to his unending drive for creative innovation.

This conflation of identities anticipates the musketeer series that would dominate the artist’s work later that decade and provides insight into how Picasso viewed the different aspects of his own personality. Throughout his oeuvre, Picasso’s male figures are the embodiment of masculine power, always rendered with an intensity which convey the bravura of the artist himself. In the present work, through the iconography of the artist at his easel, Picasso reflects on the complexity of his sentiments regarding his role as an artist. "I have less and less time and I have more and more to say" commented Picasso in his last decade (Picasso, quoted in Klaus Gallwitz, Picasso Laureatus, Lausanne & Paris, 1971, p. 166), and the freedom and spontaneity of his late work, together with the recourse to archetypal figures and symbols is visual evidence of this.

Having gone through so many phases of stylistic and technical experimentation, Picasso now pared down his style to paint monumental oils in quick, spontaneous brushstrokes. Lustrous passages of colour cover the whole canvas endowing the figure with a startlingly vivid presence. The richness and choice of teal blue colour was distinctive of Picasso’s late period and pre-empted several works of 1964- 1965 which featured similar, unique shades of blue. Rather than ponder the details of human anatomy and perspective, Picasso now isolated those elements of his subject that fascinated and preoccupied him and depicted them with an extraordinary sense of wit entirely of his own. The seemingly limitless energy that characterizes so much of his work is extant in this final burst of creativity, as well as a conscious decision to allow himself total liberty with both style and subject matter.

Picasso spent his last decade in a creative world of his own making. At the sprawling villa, Mas de Notre Dame de Vie, in Mougins the artist had complete freedom to work and explore new subjects. Perched high atop the village of Mougins with a view of the Bay of Cannes, the picturesque estate allowed the artist an uninterrupted tranquillity in which to paint. It was here that Picasso deepened his study of the Old Masters and here that he looked towards Van Gogh as his greatest source of inspiration. His wife and great muse Jacqueline Roque organised their lives around Picasso’s needs and ensured a daily routine undisturbed by external forces. The idyllic setting and unwavering support from Jacqueline resulted in one of the most prolific periods of the artist’s career. Simonetta Fraquelli discusses this change in scenery and its impact on Picasso’s work:

Le Peintre is a rare example of a late work signed by the artist, that has never been at auction before and is thus, fresh to the market. Today, paintings from this more colourful period of Picasso’s work from the 1960s have become increasingly desirable internationally, particularly with modern and contemporary collectors. Marie-Laure Bernadac writes of Picasso’s late years:

洋溢飽滿生命力的《畫家》，既是畢加索對其畢生奉獻的藝術之致敬，也是他身為畫家的自省旅程。本作最近展出於瑞士貝耶勒基金會博物館的展覽〈畢加索。藝術家與模特兒：最後的作品〉中，構圖呈現了畢加索藝術生涯晚期最重要的象徵圖案之一—做畫室中作畫中的藝術家。在《畫家》中，畢加索捕捉了萌生藝術靈感的一刻，透過動感強烈的筆跡，表達自己作畫時的能量，其極專注地把臉龐湊近畫布，揮舞著畫筆醉心作畫。

六〇至七〇年代初，畢加索投入以自己的創作情境作為畫作主題，繪出多幅只有「畫家」為對象，或偶有模特兒在一旁的作品。雖然畢加索在較早期的作品中，已曾涉足這個主題，例如創屬於1926年的《畫家與其模特兒》（巴黎畢加索博物館藏），或其1928年的同名之作（紐約現代藝術博物館藏）。然而，這個主題到了六〇年代，才在其創作中變得更為重要。1963年，他繪畫了逾五十幅以此為主題的作品，顯示他有多著迷於探討藝術家的使命感。

對於畢加索如此投入於這個創作主題，藝評人暨策展人瑪麗-蘿・本納德表示：

在本作中，畢加索並沒有繪畫模特兒，而是完全專注在「畫家」身上。雖然作品名稱沒有表明為自畫像，但《畫家》這個主題仍帶有深刻的自傳意味。跟《畫家》系列的其他作品一樣，畢加索畫中的對象身穿藍色水手條紋衫，與自己的常見打扮甚為相似，因而突顯了這個關聯。畢加索也把畫家的臉畫成兩面，以雙重面貌審視畫家身份的多種元素。雖然此時的畢翁已步入耄耋之年，但其筆下充滿稚氣活潑的筆觸與塑形，以及人物臉上時尚的山羊鬍子，卻刻劃出一個充滿個性而年輕的畫家形象。

本作並非僅是青春的自畫像，更是體現了畢加索對梵高的著迷與欽佩。在六〇年代，畢加索似乎極為著迷於這位後印象派大師的身世與作品，甚至把梵高自割耳朵的新聞報道收藏在銀包裡，多年來攜帶在身。《畫家》可視為畢加索對梵高創於1887年《戴草帽的自畫像》系列的致敬。畢加索在此作中的明暗技法、豐盈且即興的筆法、以及黃帽子等象徵符號的運用，與梵高的風格遙相呼應。

為畢加索撰寫了多卷權威傳記的藝術史學家約翰・理查德森寫道：

若說梵高是畢加索的主保聖人，那古畫大師便是他的使徒。六〇年代，繼承古畫大師的藝術衣缽，對畢加索而言變得越發重要。他在十年間竭力重塑昔日大師的風格，並從維拉斯奎茲、林布蘭、埃爾・格雷考和弗朗西斯科・戈雅等大師傑作中取材創作。畢加索對古畫大師的獻身，奠定了他在藝術史洪流中備受敬重的偉人地位。記者暨藝術史學家海倫・帕姆蘭，指出了畢加索有多了解自己在藝術史中的地位，以及其他大師的作品如何平衡他的孤寂：

《畫家》深刻道出了畢加索對身後豐厚藝術史的肯定，同時也體現他對創新的無窮動力。

這種重疊身份的肖像創作，可謂他在該年代隨後大量創作的《火槍手》系列之先驅，讓人可一窺他如何看待自己個性、以至人生中的不同面貌。畢加索多幅作品中的男性對象，都是男子氣概的化身，他亦總以強烈的手法傳達自己的高超技藝。在本作中，畢加索呈現在畫架作畫的畫家肖像，並反思自己身為藝術家的複雜情感。畢加索在生前最後十年間曾表示：「我的時間越來越少，但想說的卻越來越多。」（畢加索，節錄於克勞斯・加爾維茨著的〈畢加索的成就〉，洛桑及巴黎，1971年，166頁）。

經過多年試驗無數風格與技術後，畢加索漸漸專注在疾速即興的筆法上，畫布上塗滿絢麗、質感豐富的厚重油彩，尤其是背景中濃豔的水鴨藍色，襯托出人物栩栩如生。濃豔的水鴨藍色，是畢加索晚期作品的特徵。他隨後在1964至1965年間的數幅作品，也採用了相似的獨特綠藍色調。畢加索沒拘泥於人體結構及視角細節，反而突顯自己更為鍾情及著迷的主題元素，以獨有的睿智手法加以描繪。他作品中標誌性的無窮能量，在其晚年的創意爆發之中表露無遺，亦顯示了他有為地自由選擇風格及創作主題。

畢加索生前最後十年沉浸在自己的創作世界中。在穆然的永生聖母別墅裡，畢加索得以無拘無拘地創作，探討全新的主題。這座如詩如畫的別墅，座落在穆然村的頂部，俯瞰康城灣的景色，讓畢加索能在絕對的寧靜安然之中繪畫。他正是在這裡加深鑽研古畫大師，並以梵高為最主要的靈感來源。畢加索的太太及重要靈感來源賈桂琳・蘿可，小心地根據他的需求規劃一切，確保他的日常生活不會被外在因素打擾。四周充滿詩意的環境，加上賈桂琳的竭力支持，促成了畢加索藝術生涯中最多產的時期。西莫內塔・弗拉奎利評價了這次環境轉變以及那對畢加索作品的影響：

《畫家》是畢加索晚年的自傳式鉅獻，多年來神隱私人收藏而從未釋出於拍場，而至本季首度登臨拍賣，珍罕無比。左下角有藝術家親筆簽名，尤其珍貴。現時，畢加索六〇年代更為繽紛的作品，於國際藏家間備受關注。瑪麗-蘿・本納德曾對畢加索的晚年寫道：