Mademoiselle Léonie Sur Une Chaise Longue (Mademoiselle Léonie in a Lounge Chair) from Saint Matorel

Mademoiselle Léonie Sur Une Chaise Longue (Mademoiselle Léonie in a Lounge Chair) from Saint Matorel is a pivotal graphic work created by Pablo Picasso in 1910. This piece is one of four original prints included in the illustrated book Saint Matorel, published in 1910-1911, a critical early example of the collaboration between artists and poets that dramatically redefined 20th-century fine art publishing. The composition depicts a seated figure, Léonie, resting upon a lounge chair, rendered through a process of deep analysis and formal reduction.

Executed using the technically demanding combination of etching and drypoint, the work showcases Picasso's rapidly developing engagement with proto-Cubist principles during this transitional era. The technique uses deeply etched lines, combined with the rich, velvety texture created by the drypoint burr, to generate a profound variation in tonal density and shadow. Picasso employs this graphic method to rigorously fracture the figure and the surrounding space into complex, interlocking geometric planes, characteristics defining the nascent Analytical phase of his style. Although the work originates from the Spanish master, its formal innovation immediately influenced the broader European avant-garde, opening new possibilities for printmaking outside traditional painting.

The production of Saint Matorel marks an important chapter in Picasso’s artistic development, signaling his serious investment in printmaking as a primary artistic outlet, rather than merely a reproductive tool. Illustrated books of this nature, combining avant-garde poetry and radical visual language, are classified as significant milestones in modern art history. The enduring quality of these prints ensured their early circulation among collectors and institutions. This significant example of early graphic Cubism, which captures the transitional period of 1910-1911, currently resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), serving as a crucial reference point for the study of modern prints and Spanish contribution to Cubism.