‘Painted in oil directly onto de upper half of a page from the French newspaper Paris-Soir, dated 31 July 1941, the subject is irrevocably linked to the contemporary world events. A painting of hands on the lower portion of the same page (Succession no. 04298) bears a close resemblance to the present example [1]. Although there were five such works inventoried in the artist’s estate (Succession nos. 04297-04301), Picasso painted more, nearly identical images of a human hand, on newspaper. The series of hands can be compared with that of women’s heads, some identified as portraits of Dora Maar, also painted on newspaper and dating primarily from July 1941 through 1943.
Anne Baldassari has cleverly identified what were thought to be joined hands as a single hand holding some form of stick. This observation differentiates the oil-and-newspaper series from that of the drawings of interlocked hands made during the same period in July 1941 (e.g., Hand, Museo Picasso Málaga, Z.XI.207). Picasso shows the left palm in an anatomically contorted position with the hand’s thumb and fingers perhaps oriented in reverse, unless the circles represent human knuckles rather thatn fingernails. Baldassari also pointed out the frequent use of the late edition of Paris-Soir, which was dedicate to last-minute international events and was eventually overtaken by the Gestapo [2].
Despite the modern technique of painting on Newspaper, the Museum’s depiction of a hand with baton follows the academic tradition of Picasso’s early anatomical studies (e.g., hands, Z.VI.5), many of which are in the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. In fact, now that its theme has been properly established, one may see the subject of this newspaper series as belonging to the family of works that includes the clenched fist wielding a broken weapon in [Guernica])(https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collection/artwork/guernica), 1937.
No connection has yet been discovered between the content of the Newspaper and the painted subject. The political implications were suggested and discussed when the work was first published in Picasso. Primera mirada in 1994 [3]; however, Picasso is known to have used materials indiscriminately, both for artistic experimentation and out of necessity, during the scarcities created by the war. Intentional or not, the newspaper’s historical relevance contributes a powerful message to the outlined hand clutching the baton. The size of the hand in relation to the printed page and the force implied by the grip convey a considerable degree of power and may symbolize resistance. This possibility would reinforce the study’s relevance to the other wartime work mentioned earlier—Guernica.
Irrespective of the artist’s intentions, the combination of the painting and newspaper has a significance that neither would have alone. Anne Baldassari’s analysis of the complexity of the propagandist role of the newspaper [4] exemplifies the myriad contemporary as well as historical interpretations of this compelling work’ [5].
[1] and [3] GIMÉNEZ, Carmen (dir.). Picasso. Primera mirada. [Cat. exp. Palacio Episcopal, Malaga, 1994-1995; Pabellón Mudéjar, Seville, 1995 and Carré d’Art, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Nimes, 1995]. Seville: Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, 1994, p. 340.
[2] and [4] BALDASSARI, Anne (dir). Picasso Working on Paper. [Cat. exp. Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, 2000]. London: Merrell Publishers, Ltd., pp. 145, 148 and 154.
[5] GIMÉNEZ, Carmen (ed). Colección Museo Picasso Málaga. Malaga: Museo Picasso Málaga, 2003, pp. 294-296.
