[Escrito]

Artist Pablo Picasso (Spanish (active France), 1881-1973)

Publisher Latitud Cuarenta y Uno, Paris, 1948 [Le degré quarante et un] (Iliazd)

Printer plates: Roger Lacourière, [Paris]; text: Imprimerie Union, [Paris]

Author Iliazd (Ilia Zdanevitch) (Russian, 1894-1975)

Date1948

DimensionsFolder: H: 16 in. (406 mm); W: 11 1/4 in. (286 mm).
Page: H: 14 1/4 in. (362 mm); W: 10 3/8 in. (259 mm).
Chemise: H: 14 15/16 in. (379 mm); W: 10 3/8 in. (264 mm); Depth: 1/2 in. (12 mm).
Book: H: 14 3/4 in. (375 mm); W: 10 1/4 in. (260 mm).

MediumOriginal prints: 5 engravings, plus 2 etchings. Text: letterpress. Paper: beige wove ancient japan paper.

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineGift of Molly and Walter Bareiss in honor of Barbara K. Sutherland

Object number

1984.895

Not on View

Label TextIn 1946 Iliazd met Olga Djordjadze, a young compatriot with whom he could speak Russian. She inspired this love letter "Pismo"; the manuscript of this poem is still in her possession. Iliazd presented this book as "the second by the poet and the painter", and he gave it two title pages- one in Spanish, for the painter Picasso, and one in Russian, for himself, the poet,--- so that each collaborator would have title a page in his native language. Iliazd designed the book so it would be printed in 15 sheets, which are then folded unconventionally into three different page sizes so that the pages overlap like stairs of one, two or three steps. Characteristic of Iliazd's innovative book design was altering standard formats of page arrangement and page layout so that atypical rhythm and pacing would occur when the book was read. The pretty features of Francoise Gilot inspired two of Picasso's print illustrations for ESCRITO. Pablo Picasso provided illustrations for 156 books in the course of his career from 1910 until shortly before his death in 1973. No other major twentieth century artist provided illustrations for as many books. A major strength of the Bareiss Collection, reflected in this exhibition, are the books illustrated by Picasso. Displayed here are some of Picasso's chief masterpieces in the art of the book.Published Referencescf. Goeppert, Sebastian, et al., Pablo Picasso: the Illustrated Books, Catalogue raisonné, Geneva, 1983, no. 48, reprs.

cf. Castleman, Riva, A Century of Artists Books, New York, 1994, p. 220

cf. Isselbacher, Audrey, Iliazd and the Illustrated Book, New York, 1987, no. 20.

cf. Johnson, Robert Flynn, Artists' Books in the Modern Era 1870--2000: the Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books, San Francisco, 2001, no. 69.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Picasso as an Illustrator, 1988, no. 22.