Addenda to the Reappraisal of the Academic years of Picasso at Llotja School of Barcelona

The new catalogue of Picasso’s academic nude’s paintings from Llotja School of Barcelona.

Originals, sure and attributed. The most important consequence of the legitimation of the Yoshii catalogue works as described in the main text of this article is the need to enlarge the sum of sure and authentic production of the young Pablo during his apprenticeship at the art school of Barcelona. We propose to make the list separating three different provenances although they all have in common its origin in the place where they were produced by Picasso. 1. The seven paintings catalogued and preserved at the Picasso Museum od Barcelona: MPB 110.047, 110.048, 110.050, 110.052, 110.056, 110.057, 110.069, 110.077 2. The paintings reproduced and studied by Palau in the Yoshii catalogue. And finally 3. A small group of paintings that were authenticated by Picasso many years after he painted them. : Head of a Bearded Man Llotja Art School Model ,from the Fundació Palau at Caldes de Estrac (illustrated in the Addenda), Academic Portrait of a Bearded Old Man included in the Zervos Cat VI.21 (whereabouts unknown) and Head of a Boy.Llotja Model ,oil or guouche on paper first published by Palau I fig.212 as from 1897 and again in Yoshii Cat fig.34 where it indicates as provenance The artiste's heirs . There is a contradiction about this portrait of the boy assigned by Palau to 1897 when Picasso was not a pupil any longer of Llotja. Palau explains (Yoshii Cat p. 30) that Picasso after painting the child of fig.3 Yoshii Cat.,(fig 7 of "A Reappraisal") “some time later…traced the face of his model probably by memory …, in a fit of inspiration “.Praising both works it ends his section under the heading Humanity and Art reaffirming that “…It is obvious that the dialectic Picasso established with the models of the Llotja was something new and unexpected “. Certificates This strict criteria to isolate the sure paintings – I leave aside the academic drawings included in the gift of 1970 to the Picasso Museum of Barcelona which fortunately conforms a larger ensemble - places the works of this type attributed to Picasso by way of a certificate in a secondary class. No matter how distinguished is or was the author of the certificate, text or institution we must recognize due mainly to the nature of the academies executed in a classroom under professional supervision the necessity to separate them from the first group. It is not my purpose to deny the well established reputation of Josep Palau i Fabre as the top expert in the early work of Picasso as it is amply explained in the article. Equally only praise and gratitude deserves Maya Picasso for her attention to the dispersed production of her father. Christies and Sothebys accepted only their certificates to admit Picasso’s newly discovered works. The certificates given by Palau can be consulted at the Palau Foundation in Caldes de Estrac. I personally trust all of them with a couple of exceptions but this is my own judgment and opinion which cant macht the historical evidence. Final considerations The lot of seven paintings of the MPB (group 1) does not represent well the talent and application of the pupil Pablo Ruiz Picasso during his Llotja courses. Only three of them present the model in full and one with two fragments cut out . Two others shows only the head and torso , one with a big square cut out. And two are pictures of head and shoulders, one with important losses of paint and the other in good condition and of a superb quality representing the androgynous young model who was a favorite of Picasso.The Barcelona`s Museu Picasso and the Picasso Administration of Paris ought to take steps and get proper account of the importance of the oils exhibited in New York 1996, by far more representative and selective. The lack of attention to the academic pieces of Picasso has something to do with the considerable amount of interesting existing works which the artist did en those two years of Barcelona schooling. It is amazing the activity of the boy of 15 to 16 years old. In the morning the  classes at the Academy and the rest of the day and festive days drawing and painting at home , in the workshop of professor Garnelo or anywhere outdoors or indoors. Apart from the numerous sketch ‘books and drawings full of portraits of his near family mostly the father, Pablo accomplished in those years several major paintings. In the spring of 1896 The Altar Boy (El Monaguillo) today at the Montserrat Museum and The First Communion (La Primera Comunión) which was exhibited in the Exposición General de Bellas Artes of Barcelona receiving very favorable critiques. And part of the problem of accepting the importance of the academic production lies in the prejudice of the French art writers like Pierre Daix  to belittle the Spanish years to the realm of the anecdotic or indifferent. E.G-H- Sept.2013