Description

The motif of this poster has been partially reproduced on other occasions for exhibitions of works related to Picasso.

This poster, made from three linoleum blocks, shows Picasso’s mastery of the gouging technique. It is one of his most beloved posters, thanks to the elegance of its composition, the iconography and the text in blue, red and yellow, which he extended to the simple lines with which he delineated the human subjects and the scene. He managed to capture the spirit of the bullfight with beauty and austerity.

Picasso achieved balance in this composition by placing the most important figures in the centre of the poster, on either side of the ring. Thus, on one side we see the bullfighter and on the other the bull. Both have been frozen in an instant of the fight. Picasso conveys the intensity of the spectacle: the bullfighter placing the banderillas and the bull enraged by the punishment of the lance.