Pierrot and Harlequin
Medium
color pochoir on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 25.3 x 18.9 cm (9 15/16 x 7 7/16 in.) sheet: 39.3 x 30.3 cm (15 1/2 x 11 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lisa Travers, William O'Reilly, N.Y., in honor of Jacob Kainen
Accession Number
1998.122.1
Art Historical Context
**Pierrot and Harlequin** is a vibrant color pochoir print after Pablo Picasso, created around 1920. These iconic figures from the commedia dell'arte tradition—Pierrot the wistful clown and Harlequin the mischievous acrobat—were recurring motifs in Picasso's oeuvre, symbolizing themes of melancholy, performance, and human emotion. By this time, Picasso had transitioned from Cubism into a neoclassical phase, yet his playful yet poignant depictions of these characters echoed his earlier Rose Period explorations of circus life and vulnerability. The pochoir technique, a meticulous stencil-based ...