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.
This print has been sold
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