Pablo Picasso - Lino Prints

Currently exhibiting at The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley until 29th April 2017 are the Picasso Linocuts, including portraits of his wife Jaqueline Reading and his famous 'Still Life Under the Lamp'. These large prints from the 50's and 60's are a testament to Picasso's versatility and experimentation for using different techniques. He is said to have been the inventor of the reduction cut process, as lino prints were generally made up of layers from several different blocks for different colours. This was a revolutionary technique, as it makes registration much simpler but is a riskier way of printing as it can be difficult to predict the impact of each layer. Reduction printing has now become a very common form of linocutting.

Picasso made progressive proof prints of each cut, showing the separation between the colours and allowing him to identify if the layer needed reducing further before printing on top of the other layers.

The completed linocut - 'Still Life Under the Lamp' 1962

Another inventive technique Picasso brought to his work was scratching the block with a stiff metal comb to create a sketchy, etched appearance, similar to that of a lithograph or drypoint. He used this in the portraits of Jaqueline Reading. Picasso then combined this with a classic block lino print to create a superimposed piece.