Mother and Child on a Bench

Pablo Picasso

1901 · Pastel on paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Although it is possible that this pastel was made for Picasso's June 1901 exhibition at the Galerie Vollard, its grim sensibility points to the second half of 1901. The strong contours and graphic use of pastel betray Picasso's close study of Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) and Henri-Gabriel Ibels (1867-1936), two French illustrators who specialized in social realism and often drew on the imagery of Montmartre and its street culture. Like Picasso, Ibels exhibited at Vollard's. Both modeled their art on the vast repertoire of social commentary in the work of Honoré Daumier (1808-1979), which was much in evidence in Paris after a large retrospective was held at the École des Beaux-Arts in the summer of 1901. It is also worth noting that the German artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), who recognized a kindred consciousness in Picasso, bought a picture from the show at Vollard's.

Artist

Pablo Picasso

Date

1901

Medium

Pastel on paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Bequest of Donald M. and Mary P. Oenslager, 1996