Descripción
Neither this poster nor its motif has been reproduced on any other posters. Paul Eluard (pseudonym of Eugène Grindel) died on 18 November 1952. Eluard and Picasso, “his sublime friend”, shared a deep friendship. Picasso illustrated several books published by Eluard, and Eluard dedicated numerous articles and poems and even an entire work to Picasso.
Paul Eluard’s friendship with Picasso began in November 1924 and continued until Paul’s death in 1952. Picasso had a great affection for him, which extended to his second wife, Nusch, a young Alsatian woman with a sharp face and great charm.
Paul had his own particular views on sexual matters and, although he was very happy with Nusch, he encouraged Picasso to have sexual relations with her. He, for his part, continued to have sexual relations with Gala from time to time.
This etching and the other seventeen that make up the series of portraits of Paul that Picasso made on 5 October 1941 are characterised by their different language and by presenting the poet in profile in all of them.
This poster was made for the tribute to Eluard sponsored by the publisher Louis Broder. The drawing corresponds to a series of eighteen portraits of the poet made in 1941. Picasso began the series using the realist technique, followed by different cubist styles. He gave several of these portraits to the poet, including the one on the poster. He gave another to Claude Roy with Eluard’s approval.
Later Picasso made more oil paintings and portraits of his friend, also using the cubist technique. The one most similar to the one on this poster is part of the book ‘Au Rendez-vous Allemand’ and is a burin etching that shows Eluard from the front. The other two portraits are profiles done in a more classical style. The last version was done in 1959 and is a cubist simplification. They are all of great quality.
