L'Homme au chapeau (Man with a Hat) (plate, page, 3) from Du Cubisme (On Cubism)

L'Homme au chapeau (Man with a Hat) (plate, page, 3) from Du Cubisme (On Cubism) by Pablo Picasso is a foundational graphic work created in 1914. This specific piece is an etching, demonstrating the Spanish artist’s dedicated exploration of printmaking mediums during the height of the Cubist movement. The image, which depicts a fragmented portrait of a man wearing a hat, was intended to be included in the ambitious illustrated book Du Cubisme, a volume that provided both theoretical and visual context for the radical new style championed by Picasso and his contemporaries.

While the plate was conceived and executed in 1914, reflecting the complex planar geometries of synthetic Cubism, the full edition of the work, classified as an illustrated book, was not officially published until 1947. This delay underscores the long gestation and enduring relevance of Picasso’s contribution to the theory and visual execution of abstraction. The comprehensive publication contains a rich variety of prints, utilizing techniques such as etching, engraving, drypoint, and aquatint, collectively defining the graphic scope of modern art theory.

In this etching, Picasso translates the formal language of his contemporaneous paintings into the rigorous linear demands of the plate. The composition relies on interlocking planes and subtle shading created through careful cross-hatching, demonstrating how Cubism could maintain legibility while fracturing the subject’s form. The print’s importance extends beyond its intrinsic artistic merit, serving as a critical document of artistic intellectualism in the early twentieth century. This impression of L'Homme au chapeau is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it is recognized as a key example of the prints defining the artist's prolific output across various media.