Picasso – Prints and Works on Paper

Ask someone to name an artist and many may come up with Pablo Picasso. One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Picasso transformed our culture through his many styles. Along with evolving styles, Picasso experimented with a variety of media, using his works on paper to explore as well as the printing process to explore and push his art making. Picasso utilized paper early in his career, often bringing in collaged newsprint to his paintings or turning to works on paper. 

Later, Picasso would move to working with printmaking techniques as evidenced by the 1950 lithograph on exhibit, Francoise sur fond gris. Printmaking is often a collaborative process and Picasso created this work with the help of lithographer Fernand Mourlot, whom he would partner with to produce many works. Picasso would experiment with the medium utilizing his fingers to make marks in lieu of a brush or lithographic crayon.

Picasso began working with linocuts upon relocating to the south of France in the 50’s where etching and lithography were more difficult. Again, Picasso innovated the process. Where one would normally use separate linoleum pieces for each color they wanted to represent, Picasso and his printer collaborator, Hidalgo Arnéra, came up with the “reduction method” where one block would be printed and recut in the succession of lighter to darker hues, requiring a lot of foresight and imagination, which Picasso clearly possessed. 

These works are a cross-section representing the different ways Picasso played with and pushed the boundaries of various mediums that used paper as a support.