This 1930 etching, Vertumne Poursuit Pomone de son Amour, reflects Picasso’s ongoing fascination with classical mythology and the eternal themes of desire, pursuit, and transformation. The subject comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in which Vertumnus, the Roman god of seasons and change, falls in love with Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees and gardens. Here, Picasso renders the myth with his distinctive economy of line: the figures are defined by the most minimal yet expressive contours, demonstrating his unparalleled ability to suggest energy, intimacy, and tension through simplicity.

Picasso’s decision to revisit mythological narratives in the 1930s coincided with a period of introspection in his work, when he was exploring the human form not only as an aesthetic subject but also as a vehicle for psychological drama. The figures in this etching intertwine with both tenderness and urgency, embodying the themes of seduction and resistance central to the myth. Pomona leans back, her body simultaneously yielding and defensive, while Vertumnus presses forward in pursuit, his figure marked by vitality and insistence.

Executed in copper etching, the work demonstrates Picasso’s mastery of printmaking, particularly his capacity to strip away extraneous detail while retaining the essence of gesture and movement. The sparseness of the line evokes classical friezes, yet Picasso infuses the scene with a distinctly modern sensibility—raw, immediate, and emotionally charged.

This etching not only illustrates Picasso’s technical brilliance but also his enduring dialogue with antiquity, transforming age-old myths into images resonant with the complexities of human passion. In Vertumne Poursuit Pomone de son Amour, the artist bridges past and present, reaffirming his place as both inheritor and innovator of the Western artistic tradition.