John Szoke Gallery presents Picassos Creation at Rest!

Creation At Rest  La Model Accoude sur un Tableau (Bloch 151), 1933, etching, 10 1/2 x 7 5/8 inches La Model Accoude sur un Tableau (Bloch 151) is yet another visually dynamic and imaginative print from the Vollard Suite, namely the “Sculptor’s Studio” series. These prints are heavily inspired by elements of the classical world: carved marble, idealized nude figures, enticing bowls of fruit and flowers, tangles of vines, and even direct references to Greco-Roman myth. Combined on the page, these motifs present the “studio” as a grand concept with no sense of time or space, lending a dream-like quality to this very real act. Sculpture was one of Picasso’s many avenues of expression; in this era, as his affair with Marie-Therese was taking flight, he returned to it as a medium.  Thus, the early 1930s saw the artist exploring not just what it meant to be in love and inspired by a new muse, one with youthful, refreshing energy, but what it meant to be an artist at all.   The “Sculptor’s Studio” prints overall demonstrate a remarkable lightness, a stark and purposeful contrast from the heavy moodiness of the Minotaur prints within the same Suite that declares an internal duality of an artist. This series displays the idyllic joy of creation, rather than an artistic burden, and Bloch 151 is no exception. In the process of etching, Picasso created delicate, thin lines which echo the classical standard of beauty and exalt its softness.  Mimicking the figures of antiquity, the sculpted and painted figures appear as soft and life-like as the living ones.   The light presence of these figures creates a misleading air of simplicity. On the surface of Bloch 151 exists three figures: a large sculptural bust on a table, a voluptuous nude female model who sits on a bed/chaise, and the young boy in the painting. But where is the Sculptor? As our main character, it seems Picasso has purposefully excluded his alias from the scene. Looking closer, we realize that the only truly living figure, the model, is in repose–is she waiting for the artist to return and finish their session? The boy in the painting is almost as life-like as she. Thanks to his clever positioning, he thoughtfully gazes up in admiration at the imposing grace of the bust to his left. The clusters of heavy strokes on and around his head and face stop at the neck suggesting he too is waiting for the Sculptor to finish his work. A cup of paintbrushes and a palette sit at his feet. Finally, there is the laurel-clad bust whose regal presence appears to radiate light from the top of her head. Yet, she too remains partially unfinished. Without a completed eye, she cannot gaze back into her surroundings.   Amongst the more general themes of antiquity and creation, this series presents a collision of materials (sculpture, painting, still life sets, nature) interacting with “real” people (models and the sculptor/painter himself) each other in the studio space. These combinations bring inanimate objects to an almost anthropomorphized state, which Picasso uses to create a visual metaphor for the ways life intertwines with art. As the Sculptor works, his creations come to life, blending his sense of reality with the powerful, almost trance-like state he is drawn into. More so, in the act of representing life, “the artist creates himself.”  We especially know this to be true considering the way Picasso inserted himself into these studio scenes. However, as previously touched on, the Sculptor is absent from this vignette. The sense of mobility is not entirely done, only paused.   As far as we can tell from this scene, these pieces will remain forever suspended in their unfinished state. But that does not mean the creator-artist has not done his job well; in fact, it is quite the opposite. These half- or nearly completed projects occupy an essential part of the creative process; by acknowledging their existence Picasso injects the dream of the Sculptor’s Studio with honesty. He himself, like most if not all artists, filled his studio with a plethora of unfinished pieces, knowing there is always magic in creating, no matter where it leads.         *https://www.museepicassoparis.fr/sites/default/files/2021-04/Silvia-Loreti_unique-multiples.pdf  **Picasso, The Vollard Suite, British Museum, review ***Mallen, Enrique. “1933: Suite Vollard.” Pablo Picasso: The Aphrodite Period (1924-1936), Liverpool University Press, 2020, pp. 161–86. JSTOR. Accessed 9 Jan. 2023.   41 East 57th Street, Floor 6, New York, NY 10022   212-219-8300   info@johnszoke.com     #johnszokeegallery#fineartmagazine#fineartwinterfun

John Szoke Gallery Wishes you A warm Happy Holiday!.

Warmest Wishes Snølandskap (Winter Landscape) (Woll 134), 1898, woodcut, 15 1/2 x 22/1/2 inches We wish all our friends a safe, warm holiday season, whatever and however you celebrate, and a prosperous New Year! We hope to hear from you (and maybe even see you).   Wishing you all Happy Holidays!   John, Sabina, and Lillian    More » 41 East 57th Street, Floor 6, New York, NY 10022   212-219-8300   info@johnszoke.com     #johnszokegallery#fineartmagazine #fineartholidayfun

Edvard Munch print of Eva Mudocci, featured in The Violin Concert, is available through John Szoke Gallery.

The Violin Concert

Fiolinkonserten (Violin Concert)(Woll 243), 1903, lithograph, 18 7/8 x 22 inches

One of Edvard Munch’s better know portraits is one he did in 1903 of violinist Eva Mudocci. Called The Brooch (W244), we’ve discussed this print before. What’s not as well known is that W244 is the second of three known prints Munch did of Eva Mudocci in that same year. The third, called Salome, is of both Munch and Eva Mudocci’s heads and, in a letter to a friend Eva wrote that the title Salome caused her and Munch to have their “only row.”*  The first of the three, Violin Concert (W243), is a lithograph of Eva and  Bella Edwards, the pianist who accompanied her on tour. And this is the image that we’ll focus on today.   First, a refresher on Eva Mudocci and her Parisian encounter with Munch: Not falling into the trope of an artist’s muse as simply a symbol of beauty and romantic interest, Mudocci herself was an acclaimed artist. A child prodigy, she began performing in England before expanding her horizons to the rest of Europe, where she met Bella Edwards. The two were enmeshed in the rich arts scene happening in Paris’s Left Bank and together they spent half a decade living, traveling, and performing together.**   It was in 1903, during that tour, that Munch first met the talented violinist. He was quickly drawn to her musical ability and her beauty. Already consumed with busy travel plans for the rest of the year, Munch developed a relationship with Mudocci by corresponding back and forth throughout his travels. In this correspondence, he mentioned that he wanted to do a portrait of her.   His desire to draw her portrait became a reality later that same year when they met in person once again, this time in Berlin. Mudocci and Bella Edwards were staying at the Hotel Sans Souci and, according to art historian Arne Eggum, Munch moved all of his art supplies into their room in preparation to do the portrait. However, it seemingly wasn’t enough to have his lithograph stones and painting materials there, as Munch procrastinated on creating the portrait for so long that the women gave him an ultimatum: create the piece or move the materials out. This clearly was enough to spur Munch into action, as he got to work and created the first lithograph, The Violin Concert.

Die Brosche. Eva Mudocci(Woll 244), 1903, lithograph, 23 7/8 x 18 3/8 inches

Before we dive into the image, it’s important to note a few things. First, that there was much speculation about Eva and Bella’s own relationship, primarily that they were also involved in a romantic relationship with one another. The second thing to remember is Munch’s notoriously complicated relationship with women. His contradicting love and fear of them led to doomed relationships and dark feelings. While he once write, “The woman has inspired many of my best artworks,” he also wrote, “Often I felt the woman stood in the way of my art.”*** In regards to Eva Mudocci, an excerpt from a letter Munch sent to his friend Frederick Delius is likely most telling. He wrote: "But I always have feelings about the enemy – Woman I think you know Eva Mudocci and her friend B. Edvards – they are here – Fraulein Mudocci is wonderfully beautiful and I almost fear falling in love – (one of thousands). What do you think?”   Now back to the lithograph. Munch based the piece on two publicity photographs of Eva and Bella.**** In one, the musicians are mid-performance. In the other, Mudocci wears a white gown and has either already finished the recital or hasn’t started playing yet. Looking closely at W243, it’s interesting to see the different parts of each photograph he opted to incorporate into his own image. While he has Bella Edwards sat at the piano (her black dress blending with the black piano), playing with her back turned from Eva, he decided to portray Eva in the white gown, holding her violin still against her body. Her posture is rigid. She is looking at Bella, who is not looking back at her, almost as though waiting for direction. What’s even more, the expression on her face is stoic. It’s brooding. There is a strained feeling that almost sets an uneasy tone.   In The Brooch, Eva is alone, up close and center. It highlights her beauty and the intricate details of her face. Munch even referred to it once as another “Madonna.” When compared to W243, the stark differences between the two are obvious. So what does that suggest? Maybe Munch wasn’t merely depicting the ending of a music recital. Rather, he was possibly using the scene to project his own personal feelings— maybe his feelings on the relationship between Bella and Eva, maybe his conflicting feelings towards Eva being an independent and talented artist in her own right. Or maybe simply the fear of falling for a woman when his feelings on relationships were filled with such despair.   Munch and Eva continued their relationship until 1908 or 1909, though it was a complicated one. There was a trust and intimacy between them, but also turbulence and a certain level of incapability. Considering the tortured nature of their relationship, perhaps the first depiction Munch ever created of Eva Mudocci— an image that on face value could simply be seen as two women performing music together— contained more foreshadowing than even he knew himself. * Prelinger, Elizabeth, et al. The Symbolist Prints of Edvard Munch: The Vivian and David Campbell Collection: Exhibition. Art Gallery of Ontario, 1996. **  Sevilla, Fernando. “Lady with a Brooch Violinist Eva Mudocci: A Biography and a Detective Story.” St. Olaf College, 29 Apr. 2019,  *** https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/whats-on-arkiv/live-tour-munch-and-the-woman/ **** Travitz Bimer, Barbara Susan. “EDVARD MUNCH'S FATAL WOMEN: A CRITICAL APPROACH.” UNT Digital Library, Dec. 1986,

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