Original color lithograph in beige, blue and black on thin poster paper. Signed in the stone "G. Braque" middle right. A proof before the "Galerie Maeght" typed text was added above the artist's stone signed signature. An earlier state of this lithograph without Braque's signature or typed text was also published in an edition of 95, in 1953 by Maeght. Impression has bright fresh colors, in fine condition with a small fold in lower left corner.

Sheet size: 19 3/4" x 28 3/8"

Georges Braque was born in Argenteuil, France in 1892. The artist’s interest in prints dates from very early in his career. Between 1908 and 1912, he employed etching and drypoint to produce graphic works in the cubist style. The artist made his first lithograph of a still life, “Terre et fruits” in 1921. The lithograph was published by the Parisian gallery owner, Daniel Henry Kahnweiller, who exhibited Braque’s early works. Throughout his life, Braque continued to make prints, mastering the techniques of etching, lithography, aquatint and woodcut. His engraved work included collaborations with several poets including illustrations for volumes and books by Erik Satie, Francis Ponge, Jean Paulhan, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marcel Jouhandeau, and Saint-John Perse, among others. The most important of these productions is René Char's “Lettera amorosa” for which Braque made twenty-nine colour lithographs. The artist has also created prints for collective books such as, "Un poème dans chaque livre" written by the poet Paul Eluard, illustrated with 16 etchings by Miro, Giacometti, Chagall, Masson etc.; "Sentences sans paroles" along with an engraving by Giacometti; and "Paroles peintes" with prints by Chagall, Bissière, Zadkine, etc.

Unlike etching wich relies more on the technique of drawing, lithography leans more toward painting allowing the artist the use of color in his compositions. Braque’s lithographs however are not merely imitations of his paintings. In his early lithographs he reacted to the possibilities offered by the medium and achieved a texture that was foreign to his etchings and a transparency quite different from the density of his oil paintings.

In 1945, after a short hiatus, Braque returned to lithography and he continued to pursue this until the end of his life. This time his approach to the medium is different in that he no longer allows the grain but only the color to speak. The artist rejects the accurate capabilities of the line and instead deliberately thickens his strokes to give them a more painterly feel. The stroke is sufficiently thick so that even when black is used, it will have the impact of a color. This unusual quality of line should not be mistaken for mishandling or inexperience but rather a shift to a more painterly style and point of view.