Francis Picabia, oil on canvas, 1935
Francis Picabia is a major Dadaist known for his deliberately eclectic body of work. Initially, he led a sort of ‘machine cult’ in which his erotic myths took shape around technology. He subsequently devoted himself to a variety of painting styles. Picabia frequently broke with and switched between styles, earning him the nickname the ‘Columbus of art’ – albeit one without a compass.
The work entitled ‘Orion’, based on a mythological tale, depicts a free-spirited and handsome hunter resting briefly on a rock by the sea. Symbolised beneath a starry sky, he is portrayed as Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’. His sharp features beneath his high-crowned hat are characteristic of the French poet, filmmaker and artist Jean Cocteau. Critical of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, Cocteau never fully aligned himself with Dada, the radical anti-art movement.
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