La Lecture de la Lettre is a painting by Pablo Picasso, painted circa 1921, during the artist's transition from Cubism to Classicism, very close to the time of the birth of his son, Paulo. The oil on canvas painting depicts two well-dressed boys reading a letter. The boys have downcast expressions as they read. One boy has an oversized hand on the other's shoulder. According to the Picasso Museum in Paris, the painting was discovered during the inventory of his studios after his death. It had previously been unknown. It was given as part of the estate to the French nation, which placed it in... the care of the Picasso Museum. Picasso is not known to have commented on this work, and the precise date may be in question. Many features in the painting including facial features and hands resemble those in La Danse Villageoise , Mere et Enfant , and Tete et Main de Femme . The meaning of the painting is not the same to all viewers; one reviewer in the New York Times described it as "social realism." Pierre Daix uses the term "hemstitched eyes" to describe that feature in this and related works of the period.
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| Artist: | Pablo Picasso |
| Artform: | Painting |
| Date completed: | 1921 |
| Height: | 6' 0" |
| Width: | 3' 5" |