Saul Yurkievich (1931-2005) - Portrait de femme

Saul Yurkievich (1931–2005)

Portrait of a Woman Against a Black Background – 1951

Artist: Saul Yurkievich (1931–2005)
School: Argentina, 20th century
Medium: Black ink and wash on paper
Dimensions: 22 × 17 cm
Date: 1951, according to the inscription
Signature: Signed and dated lower right.

Description of the Work

A remarkable female portrait executed in black ink and wash, depicting a stylized figure set against a dark background almost entirely covered in pigment.

The composition is characterized by a geometrically constructed face, deliberately distorted features, and a striking contrast between light areas and black masses.

The elongated face, asymmetrical eyes, and angular treatment of the shoulders attest to a distinctly modernist visual language, evoking the Cubist and Expressionist explorations of the first half of the 20th century.

The treatment of the black background gives the figure a particularly intense, almost sculptural presence. The interplay of nervous lines, hatching, and broad areas of solid color creates a tension between spontaneity of gesture and rigor of composition.

The drawing also bears a certain aesthetic kinship to Pablo Picasso’s female portraits, particularly in the fragmentation of features and the pursuit of an expressiveness that goes beyond naturalistic representation.

About the Artist

Saul Yurkievich (1931–2005) was an Argentine poet, essayist, and literary critic who settled in France. He was particularly renowned for his work on the Latin American avant-garde and his intellectual affinity with Julio Cortázar.

Artistic Interest

Dated 1951, this work belongs to a particularly early period in Yurkievich’s life, when he was about twenty years old.

The graphic power of this portrait, its contrasting treatment, and its modernist formal vocabulary make it a particularly interesting work on paper for admirers of Expressionist portraits and 20th-century avant-garde drawings.