Following his visit to the Saint-Lazare prison-hospital, an institution for Parisian prostitutes with venereal disease, Picasso produced a number of paintings of destitute mothers embracing their small children. This is the largest of this group of works dating from the artist’s “Blue Period” (1901–4); they unite contemporary social concerns with an iconic Christian theme. The mother’s attenuated limbs speak to Picasso’s close study of the work of earlier artists, particularly El Greco.
Like many paintings in this gallery, this one was executed on a reused canvas, and another composition lies beneath this scene. That painting is a portrait of Picasso’s friend, the poet Max Jacob, who sits in his study surrounded by books. Some evidence of the image is still visible, particularly the contours of the face, which is roughly the same size as the mother’s head and is located above her knees.
Mother And Child
Original Title: Mere et enfant
Date: 1902
Style: Expressionism, Symbolism
Period: Blue Period
Genre: genre painting
Dimensions: 97.5 x 112.3 cm
Location: Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Identification and Creation
Object Number
1951.57
People
Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Spanish (Malaga, Spain 1881 - 1973 Mougins, France)
Title
Mother and Child
Other Titles
Original Language Title: Maternité
Alternate Title: The Sad Mother
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
c. 1901
Culture
Spanish
Location Level 1, Room 1220, European Art, 19th–20th century, Collection of Maurice Wertheim, Class of 1906
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