The Rose Period – 1904-1906
Picasso realised that if he wanted to establish a stronger reputation as an artist outside Spain, he would need to live permanently in France. He had been spending the last few years of his life much like any other artist from Barcelona, spending some months of the year in Paris and returning to Catalonia in the summer. He set up permanent residence in Montmartre in 1904 and his paintings had begun to change. Gone were the canvases of blue and instead more cheerful hues of orange and pink appeared, the subject matter were also more cheerful – circus performers, acrobats and harlequins.
This change in subject matter and palette may have been due to his happier circumstances, he was in a relationship with Fernande Olivier (known among Picasso’s circle as “la belle Fernande) whom he met in 1904 and had even proposed to her. She had refused him – as she was already married, however she was his mistress for the next nine years. He got ideas for his subjects due to his studio’s proximity to the Circus Medrano in Montmartre.
Although at first glance Picasso’s Rose Period paintings were very different from his Blue Period ones, if you looked carefully at the figures, you realise that the individuals are still isolated and there is still a melancholy feel to them. The main subjects – harlequins, circus performers etc are still counted as outsiders to society and therefore isolated, however they have a saving grace - their artistic skills. They do not passively sit, like the figures from the Blue Period, asking for the viewers’ sympathy. The new subjects have a self-confidence and dignity and the warmer palette give the canvasses a more lyrical feel to them.
By the middle of the Rose Period, Picasso’s paintings began to sell and he would never again have to suffer the hardship that he experienced in the earlier period. This may have been due to the nature of his works from this period. Although the structure was essentially the same (the figures still looking melancholy and the background still very simple), the change in colour, subject and brushstrokes make the paintings much more appealing.
The Rose Period resulted in a major painting called La Famille de Saltimbanques or The Acrobats in 1905. The painting shows a family of acrobats or individuals from the circus on what looks to be a barren landscape or a desert. At first glance this painting looks more cheerful than the paintings from Picasso’s Blue Period. The title makes one think of the bright and colourful circus, the colours used are warmer and the subjects do not look gaunt and skeletal, while as the lines and brush-strokes give the whole painting a more dynamic spirit. However on closer inspection, there is still a feeling of melancholy to this piece: none of the individuals seem to be interacting with each other and they are all looking away into the distance (except for the little girl with the basket) either wistfully or frowning. The landscape is very barren and surreal, the figures seem to float in it, and the lady in the foreground smiling wistfully seems to melt away into the background. The landscape does not give an explanation of how the figures come to be there and therefore the whole painting gives a feeling of eerie discomfort. Earlier sketches for and x-ray examination of The Acrobats show that the finished piece had been altered quite drastically. In earlier versions there were more figures in the painting, the landscape was either populated with what looks to be the rest of the travelling circus or with trees, there was also more interaction between the figures – the sketches felt warmer. Picasso may have gradually changed them to create a feeling of dignified alienation and isolation – continuing, in a different way, the themes from the earlier Blue Period.
Important works in this period include:
Garcon a la Pipe 1904 – This painting shows a young seated Parisian working boy dressed in blue with a garland of roses round his head and a pipe in his left hand. The background is mainly one colour with flowers in the background. Although not one pf Picasso’s major paintings – it was the most expensive painting sold recently.
La Toilette 1906 – an erotically themed picture portraying a nude woman looking at a mirror held by a fully clothed woman in a blue dress – possibly a servant. The background is very simple, made up of two colours and the two women are interacting with each other. The colours are warmer and the whole painting looks very feminine and intimate, the painting has a very soft and misty feel to it and there are large blocks of colour.
The Harem 1906 – a sketchy and soft misty feeling painting featuring several nudes in the corner of a room. In the foreground is a male Herculaneum nude with a jug and some food spread like a picnic observing a pale female nude (the main subject of the painting) tidying her hair while another pale nude washing her feet looks on. In the background are two other female nudes who are quite insubstantial and look to blend into the background. Right at the back in the centre of the painting is what looks to be an old woman (representing La Celestina), sitting swathed in cloths. Many experts feel that this painting may have been a precursor to Picasso’s famous Les Demoiselles D’Avignon.
