Dépendance de l'adieu (Relying on Goodbye)

The Minotaur, the half-man, half-bull monster in Greek mythology, frequently appeared in Pablo Picasso’s works. For Picasso, the figure was not only a nod to Spain’s bullfighting tradition but also an alter ego. Some of Picasso’s Minotaurs are depicted as virile and strong—evoking his own reputation as a womanizer—while others are shown in vulnerable, emotional scenes, hinting at insecurities masked by muscle. To accompany this poem by René Char, who associated with the French Surrealists in the 1930s, Picasso provided a line drawing of a Minotaur embracing (or perhaps ravishing) a woman. While the woman’s head lolls back in the Minotaur’s arms, he seems to hail the viewer, with his hand raised and his eyes facing forward.