A la ville de Cordoue from Vingt poëmes
Pablo Picasso
Spanish, 1881–1973
1947, published 1948
A page from Pablo Picasso’s illustrated book Vingt poëmes in which he uses aquatint and drypoint alongside handwritten verse to fuse image and text into a personal, visual tribute to Córdoba.
You’d notice first the flowing, calligraphic handwriting sweeping across the center, set against bold vertical black ink masses at left, a spare reclining figure along the bottom, and a stylized, mask‑like face sketched in the upper right.
The sheet exemplifies Picasso’s late‑career experiments that blurred drawing, writing, and printmaking, expanding what illustrated books could do by making text and image inseparable expressive elements.
Medium
Aquatint and drypoint from an illustrated book with 26 aquatints (ten with drypoint, six with engraving, and two with etching), 14 drypoints (one with engraving), and one engraving
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 13 3/16 x 9 13/16" (33.5 x 25 cm); page: 14 15/16 x 11 1/8" (38 x 28.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
988.1964.35
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
