Le Siège de Jérusalem: Grande tentation céleste de Saint Matorel

Le Siège de Jérusalem: Grande tentation céleste de Saint Matorel by Pablo Picasso is a seminal example of the livre d'artiste genre, dating from 1913 and officially published in 1914. Classified as an illustrated book, this Spanish masterwork is distinguished by its use of specialized printmaking techniques. The volume includes three original drypoints, two of which were carefully combined with etching, showcasing Picasso’s sophisticated command of graphic art in his pre-war period. The combination of drypoint’s rich, burr-driven lines and the technical precision of etching allowed the artist to achieve dramatic tonal and textural effects within the illustrations.

The creation of this illustrated book marks a period of intense experimentation for the artist, who, while leading the Cubist movement, frequently turned his attention to collaborative projects that paired visual art with contemporary literature. These early prints are vital records of Picasso’s evolution away from Analytic Cubism towards more structured, though still abstracted, figuration in the graphic medium. The technical mastery demonstrated in these illustrations solidifies his position not just as a painter, but as a pioneering figure in modern printmaking.

The evocative title, Le Siège de Jérusalem: Grande tentation céleste de Saint Matorel, suggests a complex narrative rooted in spiritual and historical conflict, providing the conceptual framework for the accompanying prints. The integration of such high-quality graphic works within a narrative text elevates the book itself into a crucial artistic object, reflecting modernist attitudes toward structure and material. Created in 1913, published in 1914, this significant Spanish work is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains available for scholarly examination alongside other major public domain works in the museum’s comprehensive holdings of modernist illustrated books.