La Sieste (Les Moissonneurs), 1919
pencil on paper
Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Purchase: The Fred W. Allsopp Memorial Acquisition Fund, 1984. 84.52
Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain and from very early in his life proved to be a precocious and prolific artist. By 1900, the young Picasso first visited Paris, which was far more active in terms of its influence on the art world, compared to his native Spain. By 1908, Braque and Picasso began the modern movement of Cubism and by 1910 - 1911 the two artists hit full stride with it. During the years 1917 - 1925, Picasso's work shifted considerably to a Classical or Neo-Classical style. This leads us, specifically to Les Moissonneurs (The Harvesters). The title La Sieste is the Spanish term for a midday nap, with the additional term Les Moissonneurs in parenthesis. This is French for The Harvesters,and is the earliest known title for this piece. Les Moissonneurs, indicative of Picasso's new direction, is a near reduction to pure contour used to create volume. The thickness of the hands and the sleepy quality of the figures cause one to think of weighty, unmoving, ancient statuary.
http://www.arkarts.com/collection/drawing_collection/coll_display_picasso.asp
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