Mademoiselle Léonie in a Lounge Chair (Mademoiselle Léonie sur une chaise longue) (plate, folio 32) from Saint Matorel

Mademoiselle Léonie in a Lounge Chair (Mademoiselle Léonie sur une chaise longue) (plate, folio 32) from Saint Matorel by Pablo Picasso is a seminal example of the Spanish artist's early engagement with printmaking and the illustrated book format. Executed in 1910 and formally published in 1911, this work is one of four etchings included in Max Jacob's first major volume of poetry, marking a critical early collaboration between the writer and the visual master.

The classification of this piece as an illustrated book entry situates it within a pivotal moment in the history of graphic arts, just as Analytic Cubism was taking shape. The chosen medium, etching and drypoint, allowed Picasso to render the seated figure with striking linearity. The drypoint elements lend a velvety richness to the heavier lines, creating a deep tonal contrast against the etched, angular infrastructure. The subject, Mademoiselle Léonie, is not rendered realistically but rather as a study in planes and intersecting geometric structures. This approach captures the essential process of Cubist deconstruction, demonstrating how Picasso sought to represent volume and space through definition rather than traditional shading.

As a foundational work created in 1910, this piece highlights the importance of prints in establishing and disseminating the aesthetic principles of modern art across Europe. Picasso’s graphic works from this period are crucial to understanding the transition from his earlier styles into the fractured compositions of later Cubism. Today, this historical example of Spanish printmaking is preserved and made available for public study in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, underscoring its historical importance as one of the key publications of the era.