Rembrandt in a "turban," in "furs," and in the "elephant's eye" (Rembrandt au "turban," aux "fourrures," et à l'oeil d'éléphant") 1934

Here we have an etching by Pablo Picasso called "Rembrandt in a 'turban,' in 'furs,' and in the 'elephant's eye.'" It's all about mark-making, every line seems to be searching, a process of becoming. Looking closely, you'll see the incredible texture he coaxes out of the etched line. Some areas are dark and dense, a tangle of cross-hatching that feels almost velvety, like the fur he's referencing. Then there are these delicate, spidery lines that feel tentative, like he's barely touching the plate. In the lower-left, there’s this little patch of scribbled words or symbols, like a secret language. It's almost like he’s saying that art is not just about seeing, but also about feeling and thinking. Picasso was always looking at other artists, riffing on their ideas, and making them his own. You could even say he was in conversation with them. I'm reminded of Cy Twombly, another artist who embraced the messy, the intuitive, and the unfinished. Like Twombly, Picasso reminds us that art is an ongoing process, a way of exploring the world and ourselves.