Braque, Georges, Les Marguerites,1953
1953
Interpretative color etching on Rives paper
90 x 60 cm
Numbered in pencil lower left on 300, signed by the artist in pencil lower right
Engraving and print by Georges Visat; Maeght éditeur, Paris
Catalog raisonné: Vallier p. 292; Maeght n°1002
In Derrière le Miroir 10 ans d’Édition 1946-1956, Maeght Editeur, we read, “But how can we give a multiplied image of a painting that is worthy of its model and that also possesses the character of an original work?” Painted in 1953, this painting, Les marguerites (Catalogue de l’oeuvre de Georges Braque – Peintures 1948-1957 – Maeght Editeur p.72), is one of the works selected by the artist to be made available to a wider public. The etching technique was chosen to be as faithful as possible to the original. The daisies are bright golden yellow, surrounded by water-lily-like leaves and set in a vase. The very dark background brings out the overall effect, allowing the subject to shine through.
About the author
Georges Braque (1882-1963)
The creator of Cubism with Pablo Picasso around 1907, after the First World War he adopted a more traditional aesthetic with a fairly dark color palette. Still lifes and landscapes are bathed in a calm, silent atmosphere. Georges Braque was also a painter of birds, which figured prominently in his late work. In 1953, they were given pride of place on the ceiling of the Salle Henri II at the Louvre. A close friend of poets such as René Char, Francis Ponge and Pierre Reverdy, Georges Braque illustrated numerous texts.
