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Lot Essay
Executed in 1901, Picasso's La danseuse (Cancan) is filled with the exuberance and life that increasingly came to mark his scenes of everyday life during and after his first two trips to Paris. Paris had exploded before his eyes not only with colour, but also with subject matter. Picasso was in Paris twice in 1901, firstly at the tail end of his first visit, and then to make his momentous second visit, the visit in which he truly established himself with his famous Vollard exhibition. That the first owner of La danseuse (Cancan), Salvio Masoliver, was from Barcelona implies that this picture may well date from the first trip, although the decadent subject matter and style appear in accordance with the works that he furiously executed in the run-up to his Vollard show.
John Richardson has pointed out that Barcelona had been a relatively prudish and conservative city at the turn of the century, and so Picasso was shocked by the open displays of sexuality and affection so rife in Paris. It is surely in this context that the viewer must see La danseuse (Cancan) - the woman is holding up her skirts, exposing her bloomers and stockings, a beguiling vision filled with both music and sex. Picasso has rendered the fantastic colours, with the white of the skirts and bloomers, as ardent flares in the darkness of the night, the shameless and hypnotising spectacle. Within no time, as is made clear from many of Picasso's sketches from the period, he himself was contentedly indulging in many aspects of this side of Parisian life, swept along by the surge of energy, such a vital contrast even to his lifestyle in the relatively cosmopolitan Barcelona.
Picasso's fascination with scenes of the nightlife reflected not only his interest in the entertainments on offer in the metropolis, but also the influence of other, established artists in Paris at the time. He already felt that he had outstripped his competition in Barcelona, and thus followed the example of other Spaniards who had left their native country to seek a more avant garde life and set in Paris. This was especially true for Picasso and his artist friends. For this remained the Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec. Indeed, many of the venues that Picasso visited and depicted in his work had been made famous by him. To an extent, seemed to be following in Toulouse-Lautrec's footsteps, and was held in thrall and awe by his works. Unlike some of his colleagues, the legacy of Picasso's predecessor meant that rather than creating derivative works or imitations, his respect for Toulouse-Lautrec and Steinlen acted as a spur for him to excel. Picasso only turned 20 in 1901, but rather than simply being an impetuous youth, he was already a confident master, aware of his skills and advantages. In the same way that the dancer in La danseuse (Cancan) flaunts her wares, Picasso's art was a loud and challenging demand for recognition. It was a challenge to the art world in which he declared himself present and more than able.
La danseuse (Cancan), which has been in the Roche collection for almost half a century, has been little exhibited and carefully looked after, meaning that it remains in fantastic condition for a pastel, a medium very susceptible to rubbing. Here, the colours are vibrant, with rare and fantastic bloom.
John Richardson has pointed out that Barcelona had been a relatively prudish and conservative city at the turn of the century, and so Picasso was shocked by the open displays of sexuality and affection so rife in Paris. It is surely in this context that the viewer must see La danseuse (Cancan) - the woman is holding up her skirts, exposing her bloomers and stockings, a beguiling vision filled with both music and sex. Picasso has rendered the fantastic colours, with the white of the skirts and bloomers, as ardent flares in the darkness of the night, the shameless and hypnotising spectacle. Within no time, as is made clear from many of Picasso's sketches from the period, he himself was contentedly indulging in many aspects of this side of Parisian life, swept along by the surge of energy, such a vital contrast even to his lifestyle in the relatively cosmopolitan Barcelona.
Picasso's fascination with scenes of the nightlife reflected not only his interest in the entertainments on offer in the metropolis, but also the influence of other, established artists in Paris at the time. He already felt that he had outstripped his competition in Barcelona, and thus followed the example of other Spaniards who had left their native country to seek a more avant garde life and set in Paris. This was especially true for Picasso and his artist friends. For this remained the Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec. Indeed, many of the venues that Picasso visited and depicted in his work had been made famous by him. To an extent, seemed to be following in Toulouse-Lautrec's footsteps, and was held in thrall and awe by his works. Unlike some of his colleagues, the legacy of Picasso's predecessor meant that rather than creating derivative works or imitations, his respect for Toulouse-Lautrec and Steinlen acted as a spur for him to excel. Picasso only turned 20 in 1901, but rather than simply being an impetuous youth, he was already a confident master, aware of his skills and advantages. In the same way that the dancer in La danseuse (Cancan) flaunts her wares, Picasso's art was a loud and challenging demand for recognition. It was a challenge to the art world in which he declared himself present and more than able.
La danseuse (Cancan), which has been in the Roche collection for almost half a century, has been little exhibited and carefully looked after, meaning that it remains in fantastic condition for a pastel, a medium very susceptible to rubbing. Here, the colours are vibrant, with rare and fantastic bloom.