The prolific catalogue of work produced by Picasso during his lifetime is usually placed into overlapping phases known as periods, each with an individual style and technique. The universally popular Blue Period is followed by Picasso’s Rose Period, which lasts from 1905 to 1906.

A light palette dominated with pinks and flesh coloured hues characterizes this phase of artistic creativity. The tone of Picasso's work during the Rose Period has a more delicate nature and greater lyricism than it's sombre predecessor. The subject matter is often drawn from circus life including a multitude of images of clowns, traditional saltimbanques and harlequins. Picasso drew inspiration for this body of work from performances of the Cirque Médrano, a circus that the artist attended frequently near his residence and studio in Montmartre.

At this time Picasso’s colourful Parisian studio attracted the major figures of the avant-garde scene, including Matisse, Braque, Apollinaire, and Gertrude Stein. This environment encouraged the depiction of social outsiders and their experiences of alienation from conventional society, which became a common thread running through the work produced by Picasso in the Rose Period.

During 1905 Picasso began painting fleshier, more robust figures, a style that caught the interest of writer Gertrude Stein, and her brother Leo. The two went on to become the most important patrons of Picasso in his artistic endeavours. The prolific painter had already produced numerous engravings of great power and began his impressive work in sculpture during the years of the Blue and Rose Periods.

Fine examples from the Rose period include Woman in a Chemise (1904-05), Harlequin Family (1905), Harlequin's Family With an Ape (1905), La Famille de Saltimbanques (1905), and La Toilette (1906).

See Also:-

Picasso Formative Years
Picasso Blue Period
Picasso Cubism
Picasso Surrealism
Picasso Later Years
Picasso Art Store
Picasso Chronology 1889-1900
Picasso Chronology 1901-1910
Picasso Chronology 1911-1920
Picasso Chronology 1921-1930
Picasso Chronology 1931-1940
Picasso Chronology 1941-1950
Picasso Chronology 1951-1960
Picasso Chronology 1961-1970
Picasso Chronology 1971-1973