Secret Picasso Sketch Has Been Hidden In His Famous Artwork For Nearly 100 Years
Image via aijaphoto / Shutterstock.com
A secret sketch has been found hidden underneath Pablo Picasso’s famous painting, Still Life.
Experts from the Art Institute of Chicago used X-ray scans to examine wrinkles on the abstract artwork, before discovering the hidden sketch. The drawing appeared to show a pitcher, cup, and what was perceived to be a newspaper on a chair, and was scribbled at the back of the canvas used to paint the 1922 Still Life piece.
Picasso was known to regularly paint over previous drawings, allowing some of the original sketches to appear in the final piece. However, researchers noted this particular instance as “unusual.”
According to Live Science, the drawing seemed to have been erased with a thick layer of white paint before he began painting the final abstract artwork.
The new sketch was only uncovered when reseachers used high-tech scans to analyze his painting techniques after noticing wrinkles on the canvas.
“This seems somewhat unusual in Picasso’s practice, as he often painted directly over earlier compositions, allowing underlying forms to show through and influence the final painting,” the research team wrote. It is unknown as to why Picasso did that, but Movieweb suggested he might not want a good canvas to go to waste.
There is certainty that the sketch is Picasso’s work, as it bears a striking resemblance to many of his drawings, including those on display at the Gothenburg Museum of Art in Sweden.
You can view the secret sketch found behind the famous painting here.
[via Movieweb, opening image via aijaphoto / Shutterstock.com]
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