Etched On The Memory: The Presence Of Rembrandt In The Prints Of Goya And Picasso

The innocent eye is a myth, declared Sir Ernst Gombrich in his classic study Art and Illusion. The artist when alone in his studio confronting an empty canvas, blank sheet of paper or untouched etching plate, frequently calls forth, whether intentionally or unconsciously, the memory of images seen. Both Goya and Picasso were endowed with extremely inquisitive, all-seeing and all-absorbing gazes; their power to retain and recall visual impressions was extraordinarily acute. Both artists were deeply affected and influenced by Rembrandt; Etched on the Memory investigates the ways in which Goya and Picasso approached Rembrandts oeuvre, appropriated his inventions, motifs and techniques, and ultimately incorporated them into their own work. Rembrandt, Goya and Picasso are separated by centuries, periods and pictorial schools. Etched on the Memory shows how artistic dialogue transcends such boundaries, and illuminates the dynamics of cultural exchange. Isadora Rose-de Viejo is an art historian and Hispanist. Educated in New York, Philadelphia and Madrid, she specialised in Goya and late eighteenth-century Spanish art. She has been a Curator at The Hispanic Society of America in New York, and is especially known for her work on the painting collection of Manuel Godoy. Janie Cohen received her Masters Degree from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Since 1983, she has published numerous articles and catalogue essays on the iconography of Picassos late prints and on Picassos interest in Rembrandts art. Janie Cohen is Curator and Assistant Director of the Robert Hull Fleming Museum in Burlington, Vermont, USA.