Picasso loved animals more than humans, and took in many animals during his life, always trying to give them as much freedom as possible. Such was his eccentric life, Picasso won a goat in a local French lottery.
Most normal human beings would respectfully turn down the prize, but Picasso was no normal individual. He took it in and set about giving it as much happiness as his other existing pets.
The drawing shown here is entitled simply, Goat, and was created in 1946 from Charcoal and Graphite. As Picasso took this creature to his heart he would capture the animal in ceramics, drawings, paintings and sculptures. Indeed, the goat himself would sometimes lick playfully at a bronze sculptured portrait of himself in Picasso's garden around the late 1950s.
Pablo would describe at length how he adored this goat, regardless of its unruly behaviour. As someone who struggled with formality himself, Picasso may have seen an element of himself in this maverick animal.
It is believed that although the goat had arrived in his possession purely by fortune, the artist had actually desired having a goat as a pet since all the way back in 1904.
The particular drawing featured here is not as well known as Picasso's line drawings of Penguins, Camels, Dogs, Owls or Cats. However, this sketch is very important because of the subject involved, and the way in which the particular Goat influenced Picasso deeply.
Art critics at the time considered this to be the most profound animal drawing by Picasso and also felt that there was a three-dimensional quality which was created by varying the detail between the front and back of the goat. Despite this acclaim, art fans in recent years have seemed to prefer his work with other animals.
