Georges Braque - Fenêtre II Oiseaux gris - 1962

Image description

The composition, like an open window, is divided into two fields by a vertical line. Abstracted bird forms unfold in muted shades of blue and gray, their wings reaching out into the space like geometric segments. Darker areas of color provide a calm counterpoint to the lighter, almost floating forms. The contours are clear yet softly modulated, allowing movement and stillness to merge. The image appears serene and balanced, as if capturing a fleeting moment between interior and exterior space.

Artistic context

The work was created in 1962, during Braque's late period, which is characterized by simplification, inner coherence, and poetic abstraction. After the revolutionary years of Cubism, Braque increasingly turned to timeless motifs such as the studio, windows, birds, and landscapes. The color woodcut allowed him a particularly clear reduction to form and color.Window II: Grey BirdsThis work follows in that tradition, combining the motif of the window as a boundary between worlds with the bird as a symbol of freedom and movement. The signed, strictly limited edition and its inclusion in the Vallier catalogue raisonné underscore the print's significance for collectors.