Le chant des morts

1948

Author: Pierre Reverdy (1889-1960
Artist: Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Published: Paris, Tériade, 1948

During World War II, Reverdy started work on 43 sombre poems that he called Le chant des morts: The Song of the Dead. In January 1945 his handwritten text was reproduced actual size, including corrections and strikethroughs. Picasso was asked to illustrate the text. He first considered traditional line drawings, but they ultimately became arabesques in swift brushstrokes. Lines, knots and dots were given a place between - and around - the text. These illustrations were produced in 1947 and 1948 on zinc plates. The production took a long time, so the zinc plates began to rust, which forced Picasso to start all over again. In that period he mostly occupied himself with decorating pottery - the famous Picasso vases and plates - working on Le chant des morts between two such ceramics sessions. He produced as many as 125 drawings on zinc plates within a few days: the largest number of illustrations he ever produced for any book. With these dynamic, red arabesques, the book sets itself apart from the other, more figurative Picasso books.

Picasso had known Reverdy since 1910, and probably met the publisher in 1926. Le chant de morts was published by Tériade, a Greek whose real name was Eleftratios Tériades. He was one of the most prominent publishers of artists' books, publishing the famous magazine Verve, among others, and collaborating with Matisse, Chagall, Léger and Miró. Innovation was important to Tériade; he produced very colourful books at a time when black-and-white lithographs were most common, and released books in extremely large sizes. He was also one of the first to reproduce handwritten texts as lithographs. His collaboration with Picasso remained limited to this title, but the book is still regarded as one of the most striking entries in Tériades' list of publications (along with Jazz by Matisse). The balance between Reverdy's calligraphy and Picasso's blood-red arabesques was characterised by the publisher as follows: 'It is as though they are having a conversation.' 

Multi media presentation

See also the special multi media presenation of this book: 'Picasso, Braque et Reverdy'.

Bibliographical description:

Description:	Le chant des morts : poèmes / Pierre Reverdy ; lithographies originales de Pablo Picasso. - Paris : Tériade, 1948. - 117 p. : ill. ; 43 cm
Printer:	Draeger frères (text) Mourlot frères (llithographs)
Edition:	270 copies
This copy:	Number 206 of 250 on Arches
Note:	Signed by author and artist
Bibliography:	Bénézit 10-873 ; Castleman 129 ; Johnson 70 ; Monod 9676 ; Strachan 340
Shelf-mark:	Koopm E 37

References:

• Brigitte Baer, Picasso, peintre-graveur. Berne, Kornfeld, 1988
• Das Buch als Bild: Picasso 'illustriert'. Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 2002
• Paul van Capelleveen, Sophie Ham, Jordy Joubij, Voices and visions. The Koopman Collection and the Art of the French Book. The Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands; Zwolle, Waanders, 2009 
• Pierre Daix, Picasso créateur: La vie intime et l'œuvre. Paris, Seuil, 1987
• Tériade & les livres de peintres. Le Cateau-Cambrésis, Musée Matisse, 2003