Access a slow-looking exercise related to this work.

Transcript
Marilee Talkington: Pablo Picasso used charcoal and crayon on paper for this drawing, titled "Leaving the Universal Exhibition, Paris". Drawn in autumn 1900, at the time of the world’s fair in Paris, the work features a lively group of six people and two canines, with the architecture of the fair at their backs. The paper measures about one and a half feet high by two feet wide. Despite being almost devoid of color, with charcoal ranging from dark black to lighter shades of gray against the off-white paper, there are a few highlights of color. The fine colored lines and soft blending build a dynamic energy.

The group walks alongside each other with linked arms, moving toward the left side of the composition. Four men at the center are framed by a woman on either end of the row. The woman on the far left holds her thick fur collar or stole. Her elbow and end of her long dress extend beyond the left edge of the paper. Her face is in profile as she looks behind her toward the man next to her, who has been identified as Picasso himself. He has thick, dark, chin-length hair and bends forward slightly. Most of his body is obscured by the next very tall man, to the viewer’s right. The tall man strides ahead and has a thick beard and thin curly hair. His blue bowtie is one of the few points of color in the drawing. Crossing in front of his body is the right leg of his next companion, lifted high in an exaggerated step forward. The next man in line mimics the same high step with his right leg, as the pair appear to move in unison toward the left side of the composition.

The woman at the end of the row on the far right holds her dress at the hip, with one leg lifted. Her body, in partial profile, faces the left side of the work as it moves along with her companions, while her head turns toward the viewer. One eye looks at us askance from under her wide-brimmed hat, which is tipped downward and balanced on her dark hair piled high. A curved, pale, pink mark forms a slight smile on her face. A scribbled detail on her hat is also drawn in pale pink. Her elbow bends to the right, framing the group. Her dress is the lightest outfit, being mostly the color of the paper and shaded with light blue strokes outlined with dark charcoal marks. A fur collar or stole surrounds her neck, and an additional thin line of stronger blue encircles her wrist.

The group walks away from an arched doorway with trees and columns in the background on the right side of the composition. Blended grays soften these structures.

At the bottom left of the composition, in front of the group, are two small dogs. One walks away from us, toward the group, its hind legs and tail pointed in our direction and head in profile facing the left side of the work. The other dog walks toward the right side of the work in full profile, with a fluffy tail and large floppy ears resembling that of a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. Its legs are only partially visible and seem to continue beyond the bottom edge of the paper.

An underlined signature, “P Ruiz Picasso,” sits in the lower-right corner.

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