Georges Braque, Equinox, 1962, Lithograph

Lithograph, 1962 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and nunmbered 30/75 Publisher : Maeght (Paris) Printer : Maeght (Paris) Catalog : [Vallier 177] 54.00 cm. x 80.00 cm. 21.26 in. x 31.5 in. (paper) 33.00 cm. x 53.00 cm. 12.99 in. x 20.87 in. (image) One of the most original and mysterious lithographs by Georges Braque, produced in 1962, published by the Maeght gallery, very famous. Original, first of all by the color palette used, unusually light compared to the still life paintings of the artist, with brown and black tints. Here the buttercup yellow has a wonderful density and presence. Braque was particularly demanding in the print shop and would sometimes ask the printer for a color to be given several passes in order to intensify its tone, which is perhaps the case here. Between the two yellow areas; an ovoid shape of a delicate pink, which blends very well with the different shades of gray; the light gray of the background and the darker gray of the bird, a major theme in Braque's work. The grays are laid down with a vibrant touch that gives lightness, transparency and movement, counterpoint to the yellows areas down in a flat powerfully opaque. Braque composes with solid colors in lithography, which he rarely does in painting, thus showing all the interest he has for this technique, which he practiced regularly since 1945 and until his death. Originality also in relation to the title, Equinox, which refers to a specific physical phenomenon. The equinox refers to those few hours when the sun crosses the plane of the equator, when the duration of day equals that of night. The spring equinox announces the return of light in many cultures. For centuries, if not millennia, it has symbolized renewal and the beginning of a new year, in connection with the rhythm of Nature. Braque did not want us to miss out on this symbolic dimension, so these shapes represent the sun, and why not the moon in between. Some brown clouds dot the sky. The bird and its serene flight completes this rare composition by the artist, who keeps a part of mystery, in connection with the cosmos. Good condition LCD5216