María Blanchard

A. Lopez Pascual, Paris
Private Collection, Barcelona
Ramón Sardá Gallery, Barcelona
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1983

Madrid, Guillermo de Osma Galleria & Barcelona, Oriol Galeria d'Art, Cubismos, 2001-02, no. 6, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, María Blanchard, Cubista, 2012-13, n.n., illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Maria José Salazar, María Blanchard 1889-1932, Catalogue raisonné, Madrid, 2004, no. 69, illustrated in colour p. 177

The canvas is not lined. There is a discoloured layer of varnish preventing the UV light from fully penetrating and which would respond well to cleaning. UV light reveals an area of reinforcement to the brown pigment in the circular form towards the centre of the lower edge and a few further lines and spots of retouching predominantly towards the centre of the upper edge. There are some fine raised lines of craquelure mainly to the brown pigments. This work is in overall good condition.
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María Blanchard painted this vibrant Cubist composition between 1917 and 1918, a period that represents the peak of her creative years. During this time, Blanchard was completely devoted to her work, living at Beaulieu-lès-Loches with her friends Jacques Lipschitz and Juan Gris.

Blanchard had met Gris in 1915 in Montparnasse and quickly became enthralled by the language of Cubism, decisively adhering to the movement despite its lack of prestige at the time. Gris became a friend, an accomplice and a mentor in Blanchard’s career: he showed her the meticulous rigour required to sharply identify and simplify forms. Together, they embarked on a joint investigation of the possibilities of Cubism. 'For him and for me,' Blanchard said, 'Cubism is an aesthetic platform, a profound spiritual and human state' (quoted in Liliane Caffin Madaule, Catalogue raisonné -supplement au catalogue biographie, Tome II, 1994, p. 51). Exhibiting a bold juxtaposition of colour planes and a dynamic fragmentation of figures, Nature morte - Femme à la mandoline, is the striking result of this period of artistic exploration.