Picasso’s Le Moulin de la Galette.Photo: Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Pablo Picassotruly was a man of mystery.
A hidden detail has been uncovered in one of the Spanish artist’s paintings hanging at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the museum announced last week in anews release. After close examination, conservators found that a lapdog was originally included in Picasso’s paintingLe Moulin de la Galette, but was later painted out.
The artwork was completed after the Spanish artist’s arrival in Paris in 1900, and showcases a buzzing scene captured in a Parisian dining establishment of the same name, filled with couples sipping wine and enjoying a chat, perCNN.
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Pablo Picasso.Tony Vaccaro/Getty Images
To discover the hidden pooch, conservators used a non-destructive analytical technique known as X-ray fluorescence to draw out the elemental composition of materials in the painting.
“It was interesting to me that he hastily painted over this dog, which would have been a rather compelling aspect of the composition,” the Guggenheim’s senior paintings conservator, Julie Barten toldCNN, adding that it was an “interesting” artistic choice.
“It would have stolen the show,” Barten continued. “[Viewers can] look more carefully at all of these other wonderful figures in the composition — to experience the space in different ways.”
Picasso had a penchant for altering his artwork, though Barten believes the dog inLe Moulin de la Galetteprovides the earliest evidence of the artist’s tinkering, per CNN.
Barten added that the painting acts as the “centerpiece” in the show dedicated to Picasso at the Guggenheim, which joins several other international exhibitions being held to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the artist’s death in 1973.
Young Picasso in Pariswill run from May 12 - August 6.
source: people.com
