Blind Minotaur Led by Marie-Thérèse with a Dove in a Starry Night (Minotaure aveugle guidé par Marie-Thérèse au pigeon dans une nuit étoilée)
1934
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
dark-manner aquatint in black with scraping on wove Arches paper [proof]
Dimensions
plate: 24.7 x 34.8 cm (9 3/4 x 13 11/16 in.) sheet: 31.8 x 45 cm (12 1/2 x 17 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Eugene L. and Marie-Louise Garbáty Fund
Accession Number
1996.104.1
Art Historical Context
In 1934, Pablo Picasso created *Blind Minotaur Led Marie-Thérèse with Dove in a Starry*, a haunting proof impression from his innovative printmaking experiments. This dark-manner aquatint the mythical Minotaur—Picasso's recurring symbol of primal instinct and inner conflict—depicted as blind and vulnerable, guided tenderly by Marie-Thérèse Walter, the artist's muse and lover during this period. The starry night sky and dove add layers of mystery and hope, evoking cosmic drama amid personal turmoil as Picasso navigated his surrealist phase amid Europe's rising tensions. Picasso masterfully emp...
About the Artist
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), born Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso in Málaga, Spain, was the son of José Ruiz Blasco, a painter and art professor who served as his first teacher. From age seven, Picasso trained under his father in figure drawing and oil painting, mastering naturalistic techniques by copying mas...