The Black Birds

The Black Birds is an original lithograph realized by Georges Braque in 1958. "G.B." is written on plate on the lower right margin; edition of 300 prints. Good conditions.

The artwork is an abstract composition realized by Braque during the 1950s, after the great success reached by the artist during the 1930s. The advent of World War II influenced Braque to paint abstract compositions. After the war, he painted birds, landscapes and the sea. During those years, he also created lithographs, sculptures, and stained-glass windows. The lithograph represents an abstract composition with birds on a light blue backcloth: in the foreground, there are black silhouettes representing two swallows; in the background, there is a black shape that recalls a flock of birds. The whole composition is surrounded by a black line.

Georges Braque (Argenteuil, 1882 - Paris, 1963) was an important French painter. In 1904, he moved to Paris where he attended the Academy of Fine Arts . In 1907, he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants ; during the same year, thanks to the intermediation of G uillaume Apollinaire , he met Pablo Picasso. This encounter would be very important for the future development of the style of Braque’s work and for the birth of Cubism. In 1909, after another exposition at the Salon des Indépendants, Louis Vauxcelles wrote about his artwork: “bizarreries cubiques”. Along with Cubism, Braque used the techniques of Impressionism, Fauvism and collage, and was even a scenographer for the Ballet Russes.

Reference : Dora Vallier, " Braque ", Flammarion, 1982, p. 294.