Unpublished portrait of Picasso discovered hidden under one of his paintings
The Courtauld Institute of Art in London has found it by analysing 'Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto'
BarcelonaAn unpublished portrait of a woman by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) has been hidden for more than a century under one of the artist's early paintings from the Blue Period. It was discovered by conservators at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London using X-rays and infrared light. Images from the analysis of the painting Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto (1901), one of Picasso's iconic paintings in blue, has revealed a female figure in which the shape of the head, hair tied back in a bun, curved shoulders and fingers can be seen, as reported by the Efe agency.
According to the London gallery, further investigation could reveal more details about the woman in the portrait, although it is not certain that her identity can be established. The deputy director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Barnaby Wright, said that he had long suspected that another painting was hidden beneath the Fernández de Soto portrait because the surface of the work had "revealing marks and textures." "Now we know that it is the figure of a woman. You can even begin to distinguish its shape just by looking at the painting with the naked eye. Picasso's way of working to transform one image into another would become a defining characteristic of his art, which helped make him one of the most important figures in the history of art," explained Wright.
Reusing paintings was common, because Picasso didn't have much money at the time and would paint one work over another without whitewashing the previous one, but now imaging technology, such as that used at the Courtauld, helps "to see the artist's hand" and "understand his creative process." It also sheds "light" on Picasso's career and artistic stages, he adds, because after the Fernández de Soto portrait he began to change his style towards a contemplative approach and more blue tones, inspired in part by the suicide of his friend Carles Casagemas and his stay in Paris.
The painting discovered is similar in style to other Picasso works, such as The absinthe drinker (1901) and Woman with arms crossed (1901-02), and will be part of the exhibition From Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection which opens on February 14 in London.
