Georges Braque, La Forêt (The Forest) from Lettera amorosa, 1963

Artist: Georges Braque (1882 - 1963)
Title:La Forêt (The Forest) from Lettera amorosa, 1963
Reference:Vallier 187
Medium:Color Lithograph
Image Size:10 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in (26.7cm x 21.6 cm)
Sheet Size:15 in x 11 1/8 in (38.1 cm x 28.3 cm)
Framed Size:28 ¼ in x 24 ¾ in (71.7 cm x 62.8 cm)
Edition:Numbered from the edition 75 in pencil in the lower left margin, printed by Mourlot, Paris on Arches paper and published by Edwin Engelberts, Geneva.
Signature:This work is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argentueil, Val-d’Oise, 1882 – Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #W-5600

Historical Description

Georges Braque La Forêt (The Forest), 1963 is aptly titled as this piece is filled with with earthy tones of brown and green. Braque utilizes soft, abstract figures to convey this forest, causing the viewer to ponder the exact image depicted. The central, brown figure appears as a tree, rooted to the ground with branches stemming from the trunk. The viewer can make out distinct, green leaf-like shapes to the left and the right of this tree, and feels as if he or she is confronting the forest head-on, as if one simply stumbled into the forest and became immersed within the foliage. This immersive experience is possible because Braque created this work with a literary work in mind. This artwork is one of 29 lithographs created for the illustrated book Lettera Amorosa. Braque completed 27 lithographs in total to accompany the book.The author of the book, Rene Char, was a surrealist poet who frequently collaborated with the major artists of the era. Therefore, this lithograph also maintains an important role within modern art's history.

Created in 1963, this color lithograph is hand-signed by Georges Braque (Argentueil, Val-d’Oise, 1882 – Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right. Numbered from the edition 75 in pencil in the lower left margin, printed by Mourlot, Paris on Arches paper and published by Edwin Engelberts, Geneva.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Georges Braque The Forest (La Forêt),1963 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnès and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work.

1. Vallier, Dora. Braque: The Complete Graphics. New York: Gallery Books, 1982. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 1040.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this color lithograph.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Georges Braque The Forest (La Forêt),1963 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.