This ceramic plate, Deux Oiseaux (1963), exemplifies Pablo Picasso’s extraordinary creativity in the medium of ceramics, where he blended painterly expressiveness with sculptural form. Executed in white earthenware with colored engobe and glaze, the work demonstrates both the technical inventiveness of the Madoura atelier and Picasso’s ability to transform even the simplest subjects—such as birds on a branch—into poetic and timeless modern icons.

Picasso’s work in ceramics was defined by experimentation with surface treatments, techniques, and finishes. In Deux Oiseaux, he employs engobe—a colored slip applied to the surface of the clay before glazing—which allows for painterly effects and subtle tonal variation. The glaze then fixes the imagery, providing both durability and a luminous finish.

The white birds stand out boldly against the earthy brown ground, their forms outlined and highlighted with swift black brush-like strokes. This contrast between matte and glossy surfaces heightens the sense of immediacy, making the birds appear alive and animated on the plate. The medium reinforces Picasso’s approach of treating ceramics not as static objects but as dynamic canvases with sculptural presence.

The design features two birds perched on branches, their bodies simplified into rounded, almost abstracted forms. Their whiteness dominates the plate, glowing against the darker background, while minimal but expressive black strokes define eyes, wings, and beaks. One bird is slightly elevated, looking outward, while the other gazes downward, their poses creating a rhythm of movement and balance across the circular surface.

The composition is deceptively simple yet full of vitality. The birds are not detailed naturalistic depictions but rather emblematic, evoking the purity of form found in prehistoric cave paintings or East Asian ink brushwork—traditions Picasso admired and drew upon. The circular plate format reinforces harmony and continuity, framing the birds in a world unto themselves.

By 1963, Picasso had been working at the Madoura pottery workshop in Vallauris for nearly two decades, producing over 4,000 ceramic works. His mastery lay in his ability to adapt the medium to his lifelong themes—mythology, animals, women, and nature—while exploiting clay’s versatility. In Deux Oiseaux, his painterly instinct is evident: the bold contrast of white and black recalls his graphic works in lithography and linocut, while the earthy brown ground connects the piece to the materiality of fired clay.

The birds themselves carry symbolic weight. Doves and birds were frequent motifs in Picasso’s art, often representing peace, love, and harmony. The simplicity of this image suggests both timeless symbolism and personal resonance, echoing the iconic Dove of Peace he created in 1949, which became an emblem of the peace movement.

The 1960s marked a period of extraordinary productivity for Picasso, even in his eighties. His ceramics from this time reveal a balance between spontaneity and mastery: rather than grand gestures of innovation, many works like Deux Oiseaux emphasize refinement, simplicity, and purity of form. The plate format allowed him to merge the functional and the artistic, aligning with his belief that art should inhabit daily life as much as gallery walls.

Deux Oiseaux (1963) is a testament to Picasso’s enduring fascination with nature and his ability to capture life’s essence with minimal means. Through the use of white earthenware, engobe, and glaze, he transforms a ceramic plate into a lyrical meditation on harmony and vitality.

It highlights Picasso’s prolific engagement with ceramics, where subjects like birds, bulls, and mythological figures became recurring archetypes, expressed with the same inventiveness he brought to painting, sculpture, and printmaking. In its simplicity and balance, Deux Oiseaux embodies Picasso’s genius for merging timeless symbols with modern form, reaffirming his role as one of the most innovative ceramicists of the 20th century.

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