Special Exhibitions
Picasso: The Artist's Studio
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Special Exhibitions |
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Picasso: The Artist's Studio |
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The Architect's Table, early 1912 The Architect's Table, early 1912Oil on canvas mounted on oval panel The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The William S. Paley Collection, 1971 [Cat. no. 11] ©2001 Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Although traditionally dated to the early months of 1912, this Cubist painting was probably begun in the spring of 1911 and then set aside for a year before Picasso returned to it. He apparently began the picture as a horizontal composition depicting one of his usual combinations: a mandolin and a glass on a tabletop. After resuming work, he rotated the oval canvas from a horizontal to a vertical axis and substantially repainted it. He also transformed the mandolin into a violin and added an architect's ruler. These alterations shifted the theme from a café still life to an allegory of the arts, a subject often seen in old master paintings. Yet Picasso also included references to his private life, such as the words "Ma Jolie" (my pretty one)-a nickname for his new lover, Eva Gouel-at the middle left. He also depicted Gertrude Stein's visiting card at the lower right, hoping to regain her attention. An American writer living in Paris, Stein (1874–1946) had been Picasso's patron since 1905. Page 5 of 9 | On the next page: The Studio, winter 1927–28; dated 1928 |
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![<I>The Architect's Table,</I> early 1912<BR>Oil on canvas mounted on oval panel
<BR>The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The William S. Paley Collection, 1971
<BR>[Cat. no. 11]](../illus/(11)architectstable.jpg)
