PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)

This portrait of Jacqueline Roque, Picasso’s second wife and muse, belongs to a series of six lithographic portraits made between December 1957 and December 1958. Picasso developed the image through three states, beginning with a somewhat prosaic profile in which Jacqueline is presented with her hair in a chignon on a light ground, then extensively re-working the plate with tusche wash to create the view of her in three-quarter profile with her hair falling on her shoulders on a dark background. Using a knife he scraped a network of highlights into the stone which delineate the figure. The effect is of a nocturnal scene in which Jacqueline’s elegant features appear lit by a lamp or a candle.