Lot Essay
Although Picasso had long been interested in the figure of Harlequin, it was only in 1917 that he began to depict other male figures from the Commedia dell'arte in his work. Among the first to appear was Pierrot, whom Picasso included in the painted drop-curtain for the ballet Parade, on which he collaborated in 1917 with Erik Satie, Lhonide Massine, Jean Cocteau and Serge de Diaghilev. The painter's interest in the Commedia dell'arte had been sparked that spring by a trip to Italy with Diaghilev, Massine and Cocteau during their work on Parade. Stravinksy was traveling with the entourage, and he and Picasso loved exploring Italian cities together. As Ernest Ansermet recalls, "While I was tied to the theatre, Picasso and Stravinksy wandered through the streets, found the museums, made various discoveries and often returned with useful information about paintings and things to look at" (quoted in D. Cooper, op.cit., p. 31). During the two weeks they spent in Naples--"this half Spanish, half Oriental (Asia Minor) city," as Stravinsky called it--they wandered far and wide. In Naples and Pompeii, accompanied by Massine, they saw perfomances of Commedia dell'arte groups. From this encounter grew the idea to make a ballet based on the commedia--Stravinsky's Pulcinella, choreographed by Massine and with sets and costumes by Picasso, first performed in Paris in 1920.
The present drawing is possibly a portrait of Lhonid Massine as Pierrot. In the course of 1917, Picasso made several drawings of Massine in the costume of Harlequin, but in the winter of 1917-1918 he began to represent him as Pierrot instead. These works include a large painting in The Museum of Modern Art (Zervos, vol. 3, no. 137) and an etching (Geiser and Baer, no. 55) which was used as the frontispiece to Max Jacob's Panérogame, published in September 1918. The features of the sitter in the present drawing bear a general resemblance to those of Massine, as he is depicted in these other works by Picasso, although the nose appears slightly more pointed here. It is possible that the drawing is related to the germination of the print and the painting.
The present drawing is possibly a portrait of Lhonid Massine as Pierrot. In the course of 1917, Picasso made several drawings of Massine in the costume of Harlequin, but in the winter of 1917-1918 he began to represent him as Pierrot instead. These works include a large painting in The Museum of Modern Art (Zervos, vol. 3, no. 137) and an etching (Geiser and Baer, no. 55) which was used as the frontispiece to Max Jacob's Panérogame, published in September 1918. The features of the sitter in the present drawing bear a general resemblance to those of Massine, as he is depicted in these other works by Picasso, although the nose appears slightly more pointed here. It is possible that the drawing is related to the germination of the print and the painting.