"Saltimbanques (The Family of Saltimbanques)"
Pablo Picasso - Oil - 213 x 230 cm
Introduction
Saltimbanques, also known as
The Family of Saltimbanques, is a 1905 oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso, considered the masterpiece of his Rose Period. The painting depicts six saltimbanques, a kind of itinerant circus performer, in a desolate landscape and is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Background
Picasso painted Saltimbanques during his early years as an artist after moving to Paris from Barcelona in 1904. As a young man with little money, Picasso lived in a studio in a dilapidated building known as the Bateau-Lavoir and was surrounded by many young artists who lived in the building and local area. However, this was a period of loneliness and poverty for Picasso, which is evident in his melancholy paintings of his Blue Period that continued until 1904. By 1905, Picasso shifted his outlook and began to paint in a new palette of warmer shades, depicting subjects with a more positive undertone. In this Rose Period, Picasso developed an interest in the life of the saltimbanque, or travelling circus performer, often depicting groups or families of acrobats.
Description
Saltimbanques is a huge painting measuring 7 ft x 7.5 ft and was an ambitious work for a young, impoverished artist. The painting consists of a group of saltimbanques who stand together but appear to be disconnected as they do not look at one another. Picasso depicted himself in this composition as the harlequin dressed in a diamond-patterned costume. The figures in the group appear isolated as if lost in their own thoughts, glancing towards a woman who is standing apart from them.
Significance
Saltimbanques is considered the dominant composition of Picasso's Rose Period and the conclusion of developing style, colouring and themes to date. The painting reflects Picasso's interest in the life of the saltimbanque and his connection with them as many were from Spain and experienced a transitory lifestyle that he had also experienced as a young man.
Conclusion
Saltimbanques is a masterpiece of Picasso's Rose Period, reflecting his interest in the life of the saltimbanque and his connection with them. The painting is housed in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and is an excellent example of Picasso's early work as an artist.
Further Reading
For more information on Saltimbanques, please visit the following link:
Painting by 'Pablo Picasso' | Pablo Picasso:Saltimbanques (The Family of Saltimbanques) (213 x 230 cm,National Gallery of Art (Washington, United States),Cubism,Oil,)
For more information on the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., please visit the following link:
The National Museum of American Art (United States) Introduction
For more information on Picasso's Rose Period, please visit the following link:
Explore Art History with WahooArt Timeline
For more information on Picasso's life and work, please visit the following link:
Abbey Williams Hill | Abbey Williams Hill (1861-1943) was an American plein-air painter most known for her landscapes of the American West. Hill also advocated for children's rights, attended the 1905 Congress of Mothers in Washington, D.C., and founded the Washington (state) Parent-Teacher Association.
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Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso