228 - Pablo Picasso - [Luis de] Góngora [y Argote]. Vingt Poèmes. [Paris, Les Grands Peintres modernes et le Livres, 1948]. With 41 etchings, some with aquatint. Loose double sheets in original envelope, together in a slipcase and box.

Pablo Picasso - [Luis de] Góngora [y Argote]. Vingt Poèmes. [Paris, Les Grands Peintres modernes et le Livres, 1948]. With 41 etchings, some with aquatint. Loose double sheets in original envelope, together in a slipcase and box. Starting time: approx. 3:02 p.m. (schedule subject to change) One of 235 copies on “papier cuvée spéciale” by Marais with the “Gongora” watermark (total print run: 275). — The book contains 20 portraits and 21 pages of text, mostly as aquatint etchings. - “Interest in the work of Luis de Góngora y Argote, who was born in Córdoba in 1561, was revived at the beginning of the 20th century, particularly on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his death, when García Lorca referred to him as the ‘father of modern poetry.’ Góngora’s poetry, which is difficult to access due to the poet’s rich, artful style, his use of Latin syntax, and his deliberately illogical choice of metaphors, was rediscovered during the Surrealist period, which in many respects can be seen as a rebirth of Baroque Mannerism. Picasso shared his contemporaries’ admiration for El Greco’s paintings and Góngora’s poetry. After he—in the same year—while working on the “Chants des Morts,” which had been handwritten by Reverdy—he discovered the aesthetic appeal of handwriting; he then copied the 20 sonnets selected by Milner—in Spanish—and subsequently embellished them lavishly with marginal notes. (The only sonnet not adorned is No. 6 [!], a tribute to El Greco.) Each poem is preceded by a full-page etching: 19 women’s heads—a veritable feminine kaleidoscope. For the first sonnet, Picasso drew the poet’s portrait based on a painting by the young Velázquez from 1622 (Boston Museum of Fine Arts; a copy is in the Prado, see Mourlot 70). To illustrate this book, Picasso used the “lift-ground” technique, which he had explored so thoroughly while working on the illustrations for Buffon. Here, however, he worked directly on the plates—without retouching, without layering tones, without a scraper or polishing tool—instead of immersing them twice in acid to achieve first the gray tones and then the black ones; he drew directly onto the plates—sometimes with a brush, sometimes with a pen. For the cover, which was created on March 9, 1948, in Golfe-Juan, Picasso wrote Góngora’s name with a brush, imitating the poet’s handwriting. For the watermark, he also used the poet’s name, this time with an arabesque above the initial letter.” (after Herma Goeppert-Frank, in Goeppert/Cramer, p. 138). Goeppert/Cramer 51. - Bloch 476–516 and livres 48. - LC 2001 71. - Monod 5582. - Rauch 69 38.5 × 28.5 cm. [88] pages. - Spine of the chemise browned English description: Includes 41 etchings, some with aquatint. Loose double sheets in their original wrapper, together in a chemise and slipcase. One of 235 copies on “papier cuvée spéciale” by Marais with the “Gongora” watermark (total print run of 275). - 20 portraits and 21 etched text pages, mostly aquatint etchings. - “Interest in the work of Luis de Góngora y Argote, who was born in Córdoba in 1561, was revived at the beginning of the 20th century, particularly on the 300th anniversary of his death, when García Lorca hailed him as ‘the father of modern poetry.’” Góngora’s poetry, which is difficult due to the poet’s ornate, decorative style, his use of Latin syntax, and his deliberately illogical choice of metaphors, was rediscovered during the Surrealist period, which can, in many respects, be considered a rebirth of Baroque mannerism. Picasso shared his contemporaries’ admiration for El Greco’s paintings and Góngora’s poetry. Having discovered—that same year—the aesthetics of handwriting while working on *Chants des Morts*, which was handwritten by Reverdy, he copied the 20 sonnets—in Spanish—that had been selected by Milner, and then richly decorated them with remarques. (The only sonnet not adorned is No. 6 [!], which is a tribute to El Greco.) Each poem is preceded by a full-page etching: 19 portraits of women, a veritable kaleidoscope of femininity. For the first sonnet, Picasso drew the poet’s portrait based on a painting by the young Velázquez from 1622 (Boston Museum of Fine Arts; there is a copy in the Prado. See also Picasso’s lithographic portrait of Góngora, created on March 7, 1947; Mourlot 70). To illustrate this book, Picasso used the lift-ground process he had so thoroughly explored while working on the illustrations for Buffon. Here, however, he worked directly on the plates—without retouching, without tonal superimpositions, and without using either a scraper or a burnisher—instead of immersing them twice in acid to achieve first the gray and then the black tones; he drew directly on the plates—sometimes with a brush, sometimes