The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Still Life under a Lamp

Still Life under a Lamp

1962
(Spanish, 1881–1973)
Spain, 20th century
linoleum cut
Image: 53.1 x 64 cm (20 7/8 x 25 3/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1984.61
© Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Catalogue raisonné: Bloch I.231.1101
Location: not on view

Description

In 1958 at the age of 77, Picasso executed his first great multicolored linocut, Portrait of a Lady, after Cranach the Younger, for which he cut six linoleum blocks, one for each color. Each block had to be carefully aligned in succession. Finding this a laborious process, Picasso devised an entirely new method that he used for 147 linocuts executed by 1968. Picasso's innovation was to use a single block to print all of the colors, cutting out more of the design from the block for each color. To create Still Life Under a Lamp, he first printed the uncut block in white on 80 sheets of paper (the edition was 50 but some sheets would be ruined in the printing process) because the other colors print better over a layer of clear ink. Then the few areas that were to remain white were cut away, the surface of the block was inked in yellow, and the block was printed. Next, the areas to remain yellow were cut away, and the block, inked with red, was printed over the yellow. Proceeding in this manner, the green and black were also added in succession. This is a daring method: if a mistake is made at the end of the process, the entire edition is ruined.
  • Planas, Clausstre Rafart. "Materials and Techniques." In Picasso and Paper. William H. Robinson, et al., 292-313. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2020. Reproduced: P. 301, cat. no. 316
  • Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008).
    Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
    Object in Focus: Picasso, Still Life Under a Lamp, 1962 [linoleum cut 1984.61]. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 30-November 25, 2001).
    Printing in Color. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-November 17, 1985).
    Year in Review for 1984. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 3-May 5, 1985).
  • {{cite web|title=Still Life under a Lamp|url=false|author=Pablo Picasso|year=1962|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1984.61