The owl is true to life: the posture of its body and the slightly turned head effectively express this bird’s characteristic watchfulness. The sculpture masterfully conveys the tension between the deceptively realistic depiction of the owl and the use of everyday materials. Picasso had a specific intention with this tension. He didn’t want to ‘tromper l’ oeil’ but to ‘tromper l’ esprit’. In other words: his intention was not to deceive our EYES but our SPIRIT.
Press A for information about the materials used, or press B for information about Picasso’s intentions.