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347 - Pablo Picasso's Theatrum Mundi 1968 will always be remembered as the year of les evenements, the riots in Paris that almost brought the French state to its knees. Artistically it has an altogether different significance, as it was the year in which Picasso created the 347 series. Cocooned in his farmhouse Notre Dame de Vie, near Cannes, the 87 year-old artist worked unhindered and uninterrupted. His entourage had been reduced to a bare minimum - principally his lover Jacqueline Rocque and the Crommelynck brothers Aldo and Piero, two printers who had moved from Paris to work exclusively for him. Between the 16th March and the 5th October, in an astonishing burst of creative energy, the artist produced 347 etchings (hence the title of the series). From sunrise to sunset the two printers scuttled along the so called route du cuivre ('copper road') between the farmhouse and the old bakery where they had set up their studio bringing freshly prepared copper plates, or taking away those Picasso had worked on for etching and printing. As Picasso mournfully observed, 'I have less and less time, but more and more to say' (1). The product of barely suppressed anger at his mortality the 347 represents a daily, or in some cases hourly diary of this period. Fastidiously dating and numbering each plate, Picasso records almost scientifically the memories and emotions running through his mind. His annotations allow us to navigate chronologically through the various themes and understand their development and context. The series starts with circus scenes filled with fantastic and humorous characters, then, a month or so later, the theme of artist and model appears. In May the most important 'series within a series' begins - that of Celestine, the procuress from Fernando de Rojas' play of the same name, with a supporting cast of prostitutes, musketeers and jesters. Finally, towards the end of August, comes a group of twenty five erotic etchings of Raphael and his muse La Fornarina, the most infamous works in the 347. Viewing the series is just like watching a form of theatre. In 347 scenes, 1500 or so characters appear, develop and then move on. Each image sparkles with wit and ingenuity and memories of specific past events are blended with fantasy. Homage is paid to Velazquez, Rembrandt, Goya, Ingres and Manet. Brigitte Baer (2) reveals the fascinating influence of television (a set was in his kitchen where he worked). The film Les Enfants du Paradis was shown on the 15th April, and Picasso watched as he worked on plate 40 of the series, incorporating portraits of the actresses. Images of Pope Paul VI on a visit to Bolivia were also broadcast, and, in a typically subversive mental leap Picasso depicted the infamous story of the ménage of Raphael, Fornarina and Pope Julius II. Voyeurism is a common thread running through the series. Whereas in previous periods Picasso's alter egos - the Minotaur, the Sculptor, the Faun - had been the energetic or emotionally charged centres of attention, in this series Picasso and other male protagonists are passive observers. Whilst the women are as voluptuous, seductive, and playful as ever this change from active to passive imbues the series with a melancholic tone. Picasso, legendary lover of women, is perhaps announcing his departure from the field of battle. 1) 'I have less and less time, and more and more to say'. Quoted in Françoise gilot, Vivre avec Picasso, Calman-Lèvy, Paris, 1965. p. 116 2) Nicole Minder, Picasso, Collection Jean Planque, Les 347, Cabinet cantonal des estampes, Vevey, 2001, p. 36 Property from the Collection of the Fondation Jean et Suzanne Planque

Pablo Picasso

Ménines et Gentilshommes dans la Sierra, from Séries 347 (B. 1614; Ba. 1630 Bb1)

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Pablo Picasso
Ménines et Gentilshommes dans la Sierra, from Séries 347 (B. 1614; Ba. 1630 Bb1)
aquatint, 1968, on wove, signed in pencil, numbered 28/50 (there were also 17 artist's proofs), published by Galerie L. Leiris, Paris, 1969, with wide margins, a deckle edge at left and right, in very good condition
P. 334 x 498 mm., S. 500 x 655 mm.

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