Georges Braque, Large Blue Bird, 1956, Lithograph

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Lithograph, 1956 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 26/95 Publisher : Maeght (Paris) Catalog : [Maeght n.1016 Vallier … Read more Lithograph, 1956 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 26/95 Publisher : Maeght (Paris) Catalog : [Maeght n.1016 Vallier p.293] 55.00 cm. x 112.50 cm. 21.65 in. x 44.29 in. (paper) 37.50 cm. x 105.00 cm. 14.76 in. x 41.34 in. (image) Based on Georges Braque's gouache on cardboard “L'Oiseau bleu”. A variation exists for the mas Bernard wall decoration. The lithograph we propose is emblematic of Braque's productions during this so-called mature period, when the artist was very interested in birds. The bird motif is already recurrent in his work from the 1930s. The commission of the fresco "The Birds" for the ceiling of a room in the Louvre in 1952 by André Malraux further accentuated Braque's affection for this motif. If the artist does not imitate birds in his art, he is keen to reinvent their forms, in a process of metamorphosis of the object. Thus, the bird is no longer this living being, this animal from nature, but becomes a sign. Braque seeks the meaning of the bird, symbol of freedom, rebirth and spirituality, it is for him the allegory of the imagination. The bird, with its white plumage dotted with a brown gradation and its wings outstretched, flies against a blue sky dotted with stars. The harmony of color lends the composition a certain serenity. The touches of bright blue brighten up the scene and create an unrivalled depth of field. We find the cubist approach of Braque in the angularity of the contours and the triangular patterns occupying the plumage. But here, purity, simplicity and clarity are the key words. The large horizontal format of the work is in dialogue with the dignified appearance of the bird and accentuates the striking work of one of the greatest innovators of modern art. LCD6205 See less