Saturday, February 19, 2011

Le Rêve ("The Dream") 1932


Le Rêve (The Dream in French)


Year1932
TypeOil on canvas
Dimensions130 cm × 97 cm 
Location


Pablo Picasso, then 50 years old, portrayed his 24-year-old mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. It is said to have been painted in one afternoon, on January 24, 1932.

It belongs to Picasso's period of distorted depictions, with its oversimplified outlines and contrasted colors resembling early Fauvism.

The erotic content of the painting has been noted repeatedly, with critics pointing out that Picasso painted an erect penis, presumably symbolizing his own, in the upturned face of his model.