Aquatint
13 works
Pablo Picasso Deux Femmes Prés de la Fenêtre For Sale
Pablo Picasso
Deux Femmes Prés de la Fenêtre, 1959
Linocut in color Signed in Pencil
20 7/8 x 25 3/8 in 53.1 x 64.5 cm
Edition
Edition of 50
About this work
This 1959 linocut by Pablo Picasso, Deux Femmes près de la Fenêtre, is a striking demonstration of his late printmaking mastery, where the linocut became one of his boldest and most experimental mediums. Executed with reduction techniques and printed in earthy tones of black and terracotta, the work captures the intimacy of an interior scene while transforming it into a monumental composition of rhythm, contrast, and abstraction.Picasso, working in Vallauris alongside printer Hidalgo Arnéra, revolutionized the linocut medium during the 1950s. Instead of using multiple blocks for different colors, he perfected the reduction method—cutting and re-cutting a single block in successive stages, each layer of carving permanently altering the plate. This demanding process required extraordinary precision and confidence, since earlier stages could not be revised once removed.In Deux Femmes près de la Fenêtre, the result is a masterclass in tonal layering. The earthy reds and deep blacks are balanced by lighter beige highlights, producing depth and atmosphere without sacrificing the flat, graphic clarity inherent to linocut. The medium’s bold contrasts reinforce the solidity of the figures while creating a dramatic interplay between shadow and light.The composition presents two women seated near a window, a subject that recalls both Picasso’s earlier Cubist interiors and his Neoclassical figures of the 1920s. The woman in the foreground is depicted with bold striations carved into her body, emphasizing musculature, texture, and expressive dynamism. By contrast, the second woman, seated more upright and further back, is rendered in simplified contour, her silhouette serene and monumental.This juxtaposition of figures—one dynamic, almost sculptural, the other calm and statuesque—creates a dialogue of contrasts: movement versus stillness, flesh versus outline, sensual immediacy versus idealized presence. The window to the right serves as a framing device, suggesting both domestic intimacy and the metaphor of looking outward, a theme Picasso often explored in his depictions of women.The work epitomizes Picasso’s mastery of the linocut process, showcasing his ability to create both texture and volume through reduction carving. The intricate striations on the reclining figure highlight his technical ingenuity—using the carving knife almost like a brush to create rhythmic patterns of light and shadow. Meanwhile, the bold silhouettes of the seated woman and draped textiles demonstrate his economy of means, where simple shapes achieve monumental weight.This duality between fine detail and sweeping simplicity is one of Picasso’s greatest achievements in the medium. Unlike the delicate tonal subtleties of his lithographs or the layered densities of his etchings, his linocuts are unapologetically graphic, relying on contrast and clarity to achieve their power.The theme of women near windows runs throughout Picasso’s oeuvre, from his Cubist works of the 1910s to his postwar paintings. The motif symbolizes both interior intimacy and the act of looking—women as muses, as companions, and as subjects of contemplation. In the context of the 1950s, when Picasso was working prolifically in printmaking, ceramics, and painting, such works also underscore his continued interest in domestic and sensual themes, translated here into the boldest graphic language.Deux Femmes près de la Fenêtre (1959) exemplifies Picasso’s late linocut style: monumental, graphic, and experimental. Through the reduction method, he creates a dynamic interplay of tonal contrasts, textures, and forms that convey both intimacy and grandeur. The work not only reaffirms his technical mastery but also his ability to continually reinvent traditional themes—such as women by a window—through new mediums and visual languages.It stands as a testament to how, even in his later years, Picasso remained at the forefront of innovation, pushing linocut to its expressive limits and transforming a simple domestic subject into a timeless, modern icon.For more information or to buy Deux Femmes près de la Fenêtre by Pablo Picasso, contact our galleries using the form below.
Price on Application
More from this series
Pablo Picasso
Aubade, with a Woman in an Armchair | L'aubade, avec femme dans un fauteuil
1959
Pablo Picasso
Bacchanale au Hibou (bloch 938)
1959
Pablo Picasso
Bacchanale au Taureau Noir (Bloch 935)
1959
Pablo Picasso
Boy with a Crown of Leaves | Jeune homme couronné de feuillage
1959
Pablo Picasso
Buste de Femme d'après Cranach le Jeune, (Bloch 859)
1958
Pablo Picasso
Faune et Chévre
1959
Pablo Picasso
Femme Accoudée (Bloch 922)
1959
Pablo Picasso
Femme au Chapeau (Portrait de Jacqueline au chapeau de paille multicolore).
1962
Pablo Picasso
Femme nue à la source
1963
Pablo Picasso
Grande Tete De Femme (Bloch 1069)
1962
Pablo Picasso
Homme au batôn / Le Vieux bouffon
1963
Pablo Picasso
Jacqueline au Bandeau
1962
Pablo Picasso
Jacqueline au chapeau à Fleurs. I
1962
Pablo Picasso
Jacqueline au chapeau de paille
1962
Pablo Picasso
Jacqueline Lisant
1964
Pablo Picasso
L'Aubade, avec Femme Accoudee
1959
Pablo Picasso
L'Etreinte (Bloch 1150)
1963
Pablo Picasso
La Pique en Rouge et Jaune (The Bullfight in Red and Yellow)
1959
Pablo Picasso
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe d'aprés Edouard Manet. (The Luncheon on the Grass after Edouard Manet)
1954
Pablo Picasso
Le Vieux bouffon
1963
Pablo Picasso
Le Vieux Roi (B. 1152) (The Old King)
1963
Pablo Picasso
Les vendangeurs
1959
Pablo Picasso
Nature Morte a la Pasteque
1962
Pablo Picasso
Nature morte à la suspension, 26 mars
1962
Pablo Picasso
Nature Morte Au Verre Sous La Lampe
1962
Pablo Picasso
Nu Assis
1962
Pablo Picasso
Petite Tête de Femme Couronnée
`962
Pablo Picasso
Portrait de Femme a la Fraise et au Chapeau
1962
Pablo Picasso
Portrait De Jacqueline (Bloch 923)
1959
Pablo Picasso
Portrait de Jacqueline Accoudée
1959
Pablo Picasso
Portrait de Jacqueline Au Chapeau De Paille Fleuri
1962
Pablo Picasso
Portrait de Jacqueline en Carmen (L'Espagnole)
1962
Pablo Picasso
Taureau et Picador
1959
Pablo Picasso
Tête de Femme au Chapeau
1962
Pablo Picasso
Two Women by the Window | Deux femmes près de la fenêtre
1959
Pablo Picasso
Watermelon Still Life
1962
Pablo Picasso
Woman Reclining and Man with a Guitar | Femme couchée et homme à la guitare,
1959
