The Bull (Le taureau)
1945
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph on Arches paper [third state]
Dimensions
sheet: 32.5 x 44.5 cm (12 13/16 x 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1982.12.3
Art Historical Context
Pablo Picasso's *The Bull (Le ta)*, created in 1945, the artist's bold experimentation at the close of World War II. lithograph on fine Arches paper—specifically the third state of a progressive series—measures 32.5 x 44.5 cm and exemplifies Picasso's fascination with the as a potent symbol of Spanish vitality, power, and primal energy. Produced in the liberated Paris ateliers of Fernand Mourlot, it reflects Picasso's postwar exuberance and technical mastery in printmaking, allowing for nuanced tonal effects and multiple impressions. In this iconic suite of bull lithographs, Picasso masterful...
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...