A mysterious portrait hidden beneath a work by Picasso
More than 120 years after its creation, a work by Pablo Picasso reveals a previously unknown secret. Behind The Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto, a female figure that has remained invisible until now has been discovered thanks to new imaging techniques.
An unexpected artistic revelation
It’s an exceptional discovery announced on February 10 by theCourtauld Institute, an English organization specializing in art history. By examining Le Portrait de Mateu Fernández de Soto (1901), an emblematic work from Picasso’s blue period, researchers have uncovered a second portrait hidden beneath the current painting.
Using infrared and X-ray analysis, they identified a female figure, whose identity remains a mystery. Was she an artist’s muse, friend or lover? Specialists wonder.
A testimony to Picasso’s creative process
This discovery perfectly illustrates the way Picasso experimented with his works, not hesitating to paint over existing ones. As Barnaby Wright, Deputy Director of the Courtauld Gallery, explains, these transformations were commonplace for the painter and would become a signature of his artistic style.
“For a long time, we suspected the presence of another painting beneath this portrait. Now we know it’s a female figure, whose contours are even beginning to be visible to the naked eye”, confides the researcher.
Picasso’s work soon to be exhibited in London
For art lovers, this work will be on view from February 14 at London’s Courtauld Gallery, in the exhibition From Goya to Impressionism. Masterpieces from the Oskar Reinhart Collection .
A technique that revolutionizes art history
This is not an isolated discovery. Thanks to advances in specialized imaging, other masterpieces have revealed hidden secrets. In 1973, an X-ray of Gustave Courbet ‘s L’Homme blessé revealed the effaced presence of a woman, probably his ex-wife Virginie Binet, testifying to the pain of their separation.
Picasso’s mysteries continue to unfold, confirming once again his genius and unique creative process. 🎨✨
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