Toreador

Having met Picasso in 1913, Lipchitz was among the first sculptors to extend the principles of Cubist painting to sculpture. In 1914 he took a trip to Madrid and Mallorca, Spain, and began work on some models for Spanish-themed sculptures, including Toreador. According to the artist’s account, the bronze was inspired by the famous bullfighter José Gómez Ortega, known as “Joselito el Gallo” (Little Joe the Rooster). Still a teenager, Joselito introduced a new daredevil technique into bullfighting, which required him to remain statue-like during the bull’s charge and avoid the deadly horns by a surprise move in the last split second. Joselito remained victorious for years, until a bull stabbed him to death in 1920 at age twenty-five.