''The Three Dancers'' (French: ''Les Trois Danseuses'') is a painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, painted in June 1925. It is an oil on canvas and measures 84.8 in x 56 in (215.3 cm x 142.2 cm).

Description

The painting shows three dancers, the one on the right being barely visible. A macabre dance takes place, with the dancer on the left having her head bent at a near-impossible angle. The dancer on the right is usually interpreted as being Ramon Pichot, a friend of Picasso who died during the painting of ''Three Dancers''. (Some critics believe it could well be Picasso's wife

Olga Khokhlova Olga Picasso (born Olga Stepanovna Khokhlova; russian: Ольга Степановна Хохлова; 17 June 1891 – 11 February 1955) was a ballet dancer in the Russian ballet. She was also the first wife of Pablo Picasso, one of his ear ...

.) The one on the left is claimed to be Pichot’s wife Germaine Gargallo with the one in the centre being Gargallo’s boyfriend

Carlos Casagemas Carles Antoni Cosme Damià Casagemas i Coll (Carlos Casagemas) (September 27, 1880, in Barcelona, Spain – February 17, 1901, in Paris, France) was a Spanish painter and poet. He is known for his friendship with Pablo Picasso, who painted severa ...

, also Picasso's friend. Casagemas shot himself after failing to shoot Gargallo, twenty-five years before Pichot’s death, and the loss of two of his best friends spurred Picasso to paint this chilling depiction of the

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

Background

Picasso painted ''The Three Dancers'' in Paris after a trip to Monte Carlo with his wife, ballet dancer Olga Khokhlova. At this time, Picasso was attracted to

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...

Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

movement. In 1926 the painting appeared in Breton's work ''Le surréalisme et la peinture'' (''Surrealism and Painting''). Others link ''The Three Dancers'' to Picasso's failing marriage to Khokhlova. Its caption at the Tate Gallery gives some insight into the background of the painting: It is owned by the Tate Gallery, London, having been purchased by it in 1965, and is currently on display as part of the Tate Modern's 'Poetry and Dream' exhibition. The purchase was facilitated by Picasso's friendship with Roland Penrose who was a trustee of the Tate at that time.

Related works

Composer and ukulele player

Ryan Choi Ryan Choi is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gail Simone and Grant Morrison, the character first appeared in ''DCU: Brave New World'' #1 (August 2006) as the third superhero character to use the At ...

's debut album ''Three Dancers'' was named after the painting.

References

Notes

# Picasso called it ''Les Trois Danseuses'' (French) despite being a Spanish citizen, and the painting is occasionally called this, the original title (se

, as well as its English translation. Picasso lived in France and French titles for his paintings were not uncommon (see ''

Garçon à la pipe ''Garçon à la Pipe'' (English: ''Boy with a Pipe'') is an oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso. It was painted in 1905 when Picasso was 24 years old, during his Rose Period, soon after he settled in the Montmartre area of Paris. The painting ...

'' and '' Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'', for instance).
''Three Dancers'' at Artchive

''Three Dancers'' at everything2.com

Tate Gallery: ''The Three Dancers''

Tate Gallery: ''The Three Dancers''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Dancers, The Paintings by Pablo Picasso 1925 paintings Collection of the Tate galleries Dance in art