'When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.' —Pablo Picasso
Executed in 1970, Le Peintre is a double-sided work which displays an artist sitting in his studio, working on a canvas rested on an easel. On the recto, Picasso narrates the scene in a black wash. Perhaps alluding to himself through self-portraiture, this refers to the historical tradition of artists painting oneself in the act of creativity as validation to their craft. On the verso, the artist holds a palette with bright colours reflecting the rest of the tones in the painting. The composition of both sides is well defined through the clear use of outline showing the figure in the foreground. The partial use of colours appears somewhat translucent, and not intended for full coverage. This is reminiscent of the pentimenti, seemingly unfinished works by Picasso, yet deemed final in its visual representation. Often colours sparingly used in such works delicately elude to forms of what could be, yet is missing. In this way, the artist deliberately creates illusion of space through the selective play on colours.
The present work was conceived during the last years of Picasso’s life. It was amid this tumultuous time when he incorporated a mixture of styles into his body of work which was hardly accepted by the public. This is possibly a message embodied by the duo faceted picture contrasting the sentiments of Picasso as the recto is devoid of the joie de vivre shown in the verso. Le Peintre exemplifies the constant influx of styles used by Picasso during these years that reflected neither his celebrated practice of Cubism nor Surrealism. It was only after his death that works from this period was later seen as the start of Neo-Expressionism. This specific cartoon-like image embodies a sense of urgency where time was of essence to the artist. The quick finishing touches allow the viewer to imagine the moment Picasso had lifted his own paint brush, mirroring the scenes. Having covered such depth of subjects in his body of work throughout his career, it is only natural that Picasso would turn inward to visually express the simple truth that is his identity as a painter.
