Raoul Dufy, “The End of the Great War”, 1915

Raoul Dufy (1877–1953)

“The End of the Great War” (“La Fin de la Grande Guerre”), 1915, relief block print (possibly a woodcut [see the description of this print as a woodcut offered by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston [MFAH] [https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/1917/la-fin-de-la-grande-guerre] and a variation of this print with hand colouring described as a woodcut by the Australian War Memorial [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C188021]) signed in the plate with the artist’s monogram at lower right, published in Paris by Paul Iribe (1883–1935) spread over two-pages in issue 13 of the weekly satirical review, “Le Mot” (“The Word”) with poetic text in the margins possibly by Jean Cocteau (1889–1963). Interestingly, in this publication Jean Cocteau uses the pseudonym, “Jim”, that is the name of Cocteau’s dog.

Two-colour relief print (or lithograph [see the description of this print offered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/755582]) on fine wove paper (newsprint) with flattened centrefold and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 42.8 x 54.7cm; (image borderline) 33.2 x 39.5cm.

Annette Becker (BnF) offers an excellent account of the background and intentions behind the design of this print and the following small extract gives insights about the image: (transl.) “Around a Gallic rooster, the artist depicts the violence committed, from the first days of the war, against civilians who found themselves on the invasion routes… The monochrome yellow (the publisher's savings, polychromy is now too expensive) and the avant-garde poetic text probably due to Jean Cocteau give an encrypted aspect to the small images that symmetrically surround, two by two, the central figure of the rooster triumphing over the eagle” (https://essentiels.bnf.fr/fr/image/2fa4e726-e73d-4a58-8d1a-65a30b463004-fin-la-grande-guerre).

Condition: a strong impression with vivid colour but with age-darkening of the newsprint support. The sheet has restored losses and has been laid onto a sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper to flatten the centrefold.

I am selling this impressively large original print by Raoul Dufy, signed in the plate with the artist’s monogram, proposing optimistically (but sadly prematurely) that the “Great War” was at an end, for the total cost of AU$249 (currently US$163.71/EUR150.83/GBP126.36 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$249) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this amazingly bold print showing symbolically the conclusion of WW1 with “the Gallic rooster defeating a menacing German eagle” (MET inv. no. 69.503[13]) please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.