Artist : Georges BRAQUE (1882-1963)
Title : Profile, 1960
Medium : Lithograph on paper
Type of work : Print signed by the artist lower right, numbered I/X and dedicated "pour Broder". This work is an additional large-margined edition (in larger format) of one of the illustrations from the book "Tir à l'arc" published by Louis Broder in 1960 and highlighted by Georges Braque, i.e. illustrated by prints by the artist, themselves accompanied by aphorisms. The Book takes up the texts of Suzuki and Herrigel author of "Zen in the chivalrous art of archery". The book which includes small format prints (20 x 15 cm) mostly unsigned by the artist and was published in 165 copies. The print offered by the gallery is not only much larger than that of the book (because printed with large margins) but it is also hand-signed by Georges Braque and was printed in only 10 copies.
Dimensions : 21,5 x 15 cm (38 x 28 cm with margins)
Condition : Good, two small holes of barely 0.1mm almost indiscernible, probably linked to the granularities of the printing matrix of the print.
Provenance : Genevieve and Jean Paul Kahn Collection
Expert's comment : Braque with this lithograph, is not limited to illustrating the book "Tir à L'arc", he highlights it. He is also aware that to see beyond appearances and make emotions speak, it is necessary to intellectualize things. Just as archery is certainly more than a sport, the artist's prints are more than what they represent, they immerse us in a state of zenitude. To achieve his goal, the archer like the artist must reach a state close to meditation that can be transmitted to the spectator. Influenced by Japanese prints and Zen, Braque's works unmistakably reflect his personality. Discreet, little focused on public relations, fond of poetry and music, the artist's lithographs provide feelings of lightness, zen and poetry. The softness of the colors combined with the lightness of the line reinforces these feelings. Like a Zen master, he goes beyond technique to tap into the unconscious and thus immerses us in a state of plenitude.
Biography of the artist : Born May 13, 1882 in Argenteuil, Georges Braque was the first painter to enter the Louvre during his lifetime. He took courses to become a painter until 1905. In 1906, he discovered the Fauvism of Matisse and Derain and found in this movement a way of moving away from academicism and exploring the unknown lands of color. It was on his return from a trip to L'Estaque near Marseille that he discovered cubism, which was to revolutionize the plastic rhythms of painting.
In 1922, he manifested another way of approaching painting, according to determined themes. This is the third phase of his work, that of the thematic period. He has the ambition to perfect his pictorial conceptions to the extreme limit of their possibilities and thus emerges from these themes, fundamental works such as "the birds".
This commentary as well as the biography below were compiled by our experts using the various reference works on the artist in our possession, any copy is therefore prohibited.
