Musée national Picasso-Paris
© Sucesión Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2023
Pablo Picasso's work was influenced by numerous muses throughout his life and one of them was Nusch Éluard, the second wife of the poet and close friend of Picasso, Paul Éluard. The Portrait of Nusch Éluard painted in 1937 is a work that captures the beauty and mystery of this inspirational figure of surrealism, an artistic movement that explored the irrational, the subconscious and the dreamlike.
Nusch Éluard was known for her ethereal beauty and frank laughter, which captivated the Malaga-born artist and others such as Man Ray and Dora Maar. Her presence inspired him to portray her in a series of works, each with its own style, from portraits that show her as a fragile and vulnerable figure to others where she appears elegant and fierce, reflecting the multifaceted personality of this muse.
This piece not only captures Éluard's physical beauty, but also reveals deeper aspects of her being. In Portrait of Nusch Éluard, Picasso plays with light by depicting Nusch's thin lips and elongated eyes bathed in two distinct lights: the yellow of day and the blue of night. The eccentric hairstyle and unconventional hat highlight his artistic sensibility.
Sources:
Blog Museu Picasso Barcelona: https://www.blogmuseupicassobcn.org/2017/04/exposicion-picasso-retratos/?lang=es
Blog Museu Picasso Barcelona: https://www.blogmuseupicassobcn.org/2019/11/paul-eluard-y-picasso-pasion-por-la-poesia/?lang=es
Musée national-Picasso París: https://www.museepicassoparis.fr/fr/picasso-lectures-relectures