Erte - Romain de Tirtoff

Ave Maria by Erté

1928

Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Spanish Guitare sur un guéridon (Guitar on a pedestal) Gouache on Western wove paper laid on board Signed “Picasso” (upper left) Picasso’s prolific career has been marked by many grand love affairs, both romantic, intellectual and creative. Beyond his lovers like Olga Khoklova and Dora Maar and his intellectual muses like Georges Braques and Gertrude Stein, Picasso’s greatest love and inspiration was perhaps a humble instrument: the guitar. Whether it be the Old Guitarist from his early blue period, his groundbreaking series of three-dimensional guitar sculptures from his nascent explorations in Cubism, or his Mandolin and Guitar composition’s grander explorations with color and biomorphic shapes, the guitar is an elusive calling card for modern art’s greatest genius. In Guitare sur un guéridon, Picasso intertwines his signature guitar and a bowl of fruit. These two elements are playfully brought together and skillfully anchored on the tabletop by a square positioned at the center of the composition. The result is a captivating and harmonious arrangement that showcases Picasso's artistic ingenuity in blending these everyday objects into a visually striking and cohesive composition. This rare gouache was created during the pivotal summer of 1920. During this time, Picasso lived in Juan-les-Pins, a small coastal resort town in the South of France away from the confines of the city and the fallout of World War I. With this newfound freedom, Picasso entered an exciting and innovative creative period and began to interrogate the connections between Neoclassicism and Cubism. Picasso created a series of gouache paintings characterized by their flat, geometric nature, sinuous contours and strikingly vivid colors. Though not a complete departure from his previous Cubist works, this series showcased the influence of the Surrealists, especially the biomorphic subconscious explorations of Joan Miró, upon Picasso’s oeuvre. While the breadth of his creativity grew, he returned back to a familiar motif — the guitar — with a renewed sense of vigor and excitement. Guitare sur un guéridon’s undulating lines and biomorphic appeal bring Picasso's preoccupation with the guitar into deeper focus. The sinuous lines of guitar mirror...

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 Russian-French L'Aurore boréale(The Aurora Borealis) Signed "Erté" (lower right) Inscribed ---- (en verso) Gouache on paper In this colorful gouache, Erté draws an enticing and unique fashion design on his model's elegantly elongated figure. Crowned by an elaborate headdress, the woman wears a daring gauzy caftan that drapes dangerously low, celebrating her nude form. EntitledL'Aurore Boréale" or The Aurora Borealis, this work embodies the Art Deco glamour for which the artist's designs are so beloved. This ensemble was inspired by Les Fleurs du mal, the famed volume of poems from iconic French writer Charles Baudelaire. As the name suggests, this creative design links the celebrated "fleur" orchids with one of nature's other great marvels, the Aurora Borealis. This refined piece of art radiates the essential luxury and theatricality that could only be accomplished by Erté, oft referred to as the "Father of Art Deco." First published in 1857, Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal was controversial for its suggestive content and themes of decadence and eroticism. The volume provided a wealth of inspiration for Erté and he drew from several themes to create original fashion sketches...

Genevive Moreau (French, fl. early Twentieth Century) Design for Fabric - Triangles in Green, Blue and Terracotta (c. 1925) Gouache 22 x 16 cm Signed in pencil; from a small portfol...

Watercolor and gouache on paper Signed, titled, and dated in pencil, verso This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Willy Bo Richardson received an MFA in pai...