Offset lithograph, satin-finished heavy paper (approximately 300 gsm); 64 x 50 in passe-partout, 82 x 68 cm in passe-partout binding;
SIAE license based on the succession of Pablo Ruiz Picasso - 1999. The original is in the Picasso Museum in Paris.
This painting was created in Dinard, a seaside resort in Brittany on the La Manche coast near Fontainebleau, where Picasso lived for a time with his wife Olga Khokhlova and their one-and-a-half-year-old son Paul. Two years later, the work was reproduced on the curtain of the ballet Le Train Bleu (The Blue Train). Gertrude Stein called Picasso's classic period "the period of large women," when he painted such overly obese female figures alongside realistic portraits of Olga.
"Two Women Running on the Beach," painted in 1922, is an excellent example of Picasso's neoclassical phase. This work depicts two flamboyant, dynamic female figures running merrily on the beach with their arms outstretched toward the open sky. The women are depicted in exaggerated, muscular silhouettes, embodying vitality, freedom and movement. The blue sky and minimalist sandy background highlight the figures, emphasizing their sense of liberation and strength. The style of the painting contrasts with Picasso's earlier Cubist works, as it shows a return to more traditional, naturalistic forms, but with a strong and monumental emphasis.
The work captures the post-war spirit of renewal and optimism, reflecting Picasso's interest in classical subjects during this period.
