Pablo Picasso
Young Man with a crown of Leaves, 1962
Jeune Homme Couronné de Feuillage

Mougins, January 1962

Original linocut printed in four colours (maroon on beige, brown, dark brown and black) from a single block on Arches watermarked paper

Edition of 50 (plus approximately 25 artist’s proofs)

Frame 79 x 89 cms
Image: 34.6 × 26.8 cm (13⅝ × 10⁹⁄₁₆ in)
Sheet: 57.2 × 43.8 cm (22½ × 17¼ in)

Signed in pencil by the artist

A striking meditation on youth, vitality and becoming, this linocut forms part of Picasso’s radical Mougins period, a time when he redefined the linocut medium and revisited classical archetypes through a modernist lens.

The Work

The youthful figure faces us directly, crowned not with vine but with foliage — lighter, more delicate, suggestive of growth rather than intoxication. The composition is symmetrical yet subtly destabilised, the facial planes divided with bold graphic clarity while retaining a quiet sensitivity.

Unlike its companion Homme barbu couronné de feuilles de vigne, which carries Dionysian authority, this portrait suggests emergence. The wide, luminous eyes convey innocence tempered with intensity; the crown of leaves evokes classical rites of passage and renewal.

Picasso reduces the figure to essential geometric forms while maintaining emotional presence. The simplicity is deceptive, the image carries a psychological weight that transcends its pared-back structure.


Artistic Context: Picasso in Mougins

Created in early 1962, this work belongs to Picasso’s intensely productive Mougins period. Having moved permanently to the south of France in 1961 and married Jacqueline Roque, Picasso entered a late phase defined by experimentation and self-reflection.

Between 1939 and 1968, Picasso created only around 150 linocuts in total. The works of 1961–62 are widely regarded as the most important within that body of work, marking his mastery of the reduction technique.

During this period, Picasso explored recurring themes:
Youth and age, The painter and the model, My thological archetypes, The passage of time
Jeune Homme Couronné de Feuillage forms a conceptual dialogue with Homme barbu couronné de feuilles de vigne. Together, they articulate a meditation on life stages, innocence and experience, becoming and being, growth and authority.

At the same time, Picasso was producing large-scale paintings of musketeers and studio scenes, increasingly embedding himself within the lineage of European art history.


Cultural Resonance

The early 1960s were marked by social transformation and generational change. While younger artists rejected tradition, Picasso revisited antiquity with renewed urgency.

In these linocuts, he asserts continuity rather than rupture. The crowned youth does not reject the past, he inherits it. The classical reference is not nostalgic but active, repositioned within a modernist framework.

Technical Significance

Like its companion, this work was printed from a single linoleum block using the reduction method. Each colour layer required further carving of the same block, a process that demanded foresight and commitment.

Working with master printer Arnéra in Vallauris, Picasso elevated the linocut medium to painterly complexity. The layered tonal contrasts and graphic clarity demonstrate his ability to merge sculptural form with chromatic subtlety.

Collector’s Insight

With an edition of only 50 and belonging to the most celebrated phase of Picasso’s linocut production, this work holds significant art-historical standing. Comparable works from this period are held in:
Musee PicassoMuseu PicassoMuseum of Modern Art
The Mougins linocuts are increasingly recognised as some of the most psychologically nuanced and technically daring prints of Picasso’s late career. Their scarcity within his overall output further enhances their long-term importance.


Why I Chose This Work

I was drawn to this piece for its quiet intensity. Where its companion exudes authority, this portrait feels poised, suspended between youth and self-awareness. Together, they create a remarkable dialogue that speaks not only about Picasso, but about time itself.

References

Bloch 1087
Baer 1307
Wofsy L:128
Orozco 399

Public Collection: Museu Picasso, Barcelona