The Source (Three Women at the Fountain) (La Source [Trois femmes à la fontaine])

The Source (Three Women at the Fountain) (La Source [Trois femmes à la fontaine]) by Pablo Picasso is a profound drypoint that exemplifies the Spanish artist’s significant classical revival period following World War I. Executed in 1921 and formally published in 1929, this print showcases a dramatic shift away from the radical fragmentation of Cubism toward monumental stability and volume.

The medium, drypoint, is a demanding printmaking technique where the image is incised directly into a copper plate with a sharp point. This process raises a burr along the lines, which holds the ink during printing, lending the resulting impressions a unique, velvety richness and intensity, evident here in the shading and heavy outlines of the figures.

As an integral part of his postwar output, the work depicts three immense, sculptural women gathered around a flowing fountain. Picasso deliberately endowed these figures with a weighty, timeless presence, referencing antique statuary and the traditions of academic draftsmanship, filtered through a contemporary sensibility. The women’s simplified anatomy and heavy drapery emphasize volume and form, positioning them in an eternal, mythological context rather than a specific genre scene.

The composition highlights Picasso’s ongoing exploration of the female form and his masterful command of graphic arts. Although known primarily for his painting, the exceptional quality of these prints demonstrates his versatility. The Source (Three Women at the Fountain) is recognized as a key work from this important aesthetic period in his career and is maintained in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.