Casket, Cup and Apple

Casket, Cup and Apple is a seminal drawing created by Spanish master Pablo Picasso in 1909. Executed using ink wash on paper, this work exemplifies the rigorous formal experimentation that defined the transitional period of Cubism, often referred to as Analytic Cubism, which followed the foundational discoveries made during the artist’s residency in Horta de Ebro. Created specifically during the (Winter 1909), this drawing captures the essential nature of domestic still life objects through the pioneering Cubist lens.

The medium of ink wash (lavis) allows Picasso to render spatial fragmentation and volume through subtle degrees of tonal gradation rather than relying on heavy outlines. The composition depicts the titular objects- a casket, a cup, and an apple- broken down into interlocking geometric facets. Unlike the densely packed, near-abstract compositions that would define later Analytic Cubism, the subjects in Casket, Cup and Apple remain largely identifiable, even as the tight pictorial space and overlapping planes challenge traditional perspective. Picasso uses the play of light and shadow not for dramatic effect, but to define and dissolve form simultaneously, creating a sense of volume that is dynamic yet compressed.

As a foundational example of this revolutionary aesthetic, the drawing technique employed by Picasso prefigures the monochromatic palette that came to characterize the movement. The work establishes the artist's intense focus on structure and the articulation of mass within two-dimensional space. This important piece, which secured Picasso's legacy as a revolutionary figure in early 20th-century art, is a key holding within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Although the original resides permanently in the museum's care, the influential nature of this work ensures that high-quality reproductions and prints are widely accessible for scholarship and public study.