P a b l o P i c a s s o
{ S k u l l o f a G o a t , B o t t l e a n d C a n d l e }
O i l o n c a n v a s
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During this period, heads and skulls of goats seem to have fascinated Picasso; they appear not only in paintings and drawings, but also in his sculptures. Here he has actually used one of his own works, an assemblage, as the model for a still-life painting. Instead of single lines, wide bands serve as contours, giving a distinctive effect rather like stained glass. In combination with the black-grey-white colour scheme, they create a notably sinister impression, focusing attention on the most highly articulated object in the picture - the skull, which is of course a traditional symbol of mortality, just as the candle, burning down while its flame is endangered by every breath of air, conventionally represents the transience of life.
So, in a startling, expressive fashion Picasso has renewed one of the historic functions of the still life, as a reminder that nothing lasts and death is never very far away.
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Source: Life and Works of Picasso
Further Reading: Biography I
Further Reading: Life of Picasso
Further Reading: Pablo Picasso & Jean Cocteau
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