The composition concealed beneath Picasso’s Harlequin
Concealed beneath the paint layers of the composition visible today in Picasso’s Harlequin with Mirror is a different creation.
We do not know what led the artist to make this drastic change, but we do know that he modified his design during the execution process. The sequence of paint layers analysed by the laboratory confirms that they were dynamically superimposed.
X-radiography shows us the initial phase in which he conceived the Harlequin with his legs apart, resulting in a powerful and balanced figure. The position of the turned left leg in the final composition lends the figure a certain instability and sense of movement.
X-ray examination enables us to discover how Picasso used paint to make a preparatory sketch. It shows how he started off with a more naturalistic composition and vibrant brushstrokes, which he gradually covered and subdued with planes of colour – a legacy from his Cubist period.