Pablo Picasso's Mother and Child by the Sea (1902): report on the hyperspectral near-infrared reflectance imaging survey of Picasso's newspaper use

摘要

Picasso reused the canvas of Mother and Child by the Sea (1902) several times. A hyperspectral near-Infrared (960-1680 nm) reflectance imaging survey of the painting revealed newsprint text from Le Journal of January 1902. Newsprint from Le Journal was identified as well in two other paintings, Jaume Sabartes with Pince-Nez (1901) and Portrait of Mateu Fernandez de Soto (1901). Picasso transported these two portraits from Paris to Barcelona along with Mother and Child by the Sea. In all cases, the newsprint letters appear reversed. This presumably was the result of newspaper being applied, for the purpose of transport, to the surface of paintings that were not entirely dry. Inspection of the painting and the infrared hyperspectral images suggest that once this 'ink transfer' occurred it appears that Picasso left the newsprint text in place when he went on to complete the painting. Although Picasso's use of newspaper in his compositions is not unusual, further investigation of the presence of newsprint letters in Blue Period works is of interest. Moreover, the survey's identification of the particular date of the newspaper in question provides important information regarding the timing of Picasso's movement from Paris to Barcelona, and concerning his repainting and completion of each work.