The Bull (Le taureau)
1945
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph on Arches paper [sixth state]
Dimensions
sheet: 32.6 x 44.2 cm (12 13/16 x 17 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1982.12.6
Art Historical Context
Pablo Picasso's *The Bull (Le ta)*, created in 1945, is the sixth state from his iconic series of 11 lithographs the progressive abstraction of a bull. Produced at the end of World War II in liberated Paris, this work captures Picasso's exuberant return to printmaking at the Mourlot studio. The bull, a recurring motif in his oeuvre symbolizing primal power, Spanish heritage, and vitality, undergoes a radical transformation across the series—from realistic form to near-total abstraction—showcasing his mastery of Cubism's fragmented geometry blended with Surrealist freedom. Printed on fine Arch...
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...