Seated woman (Olga) 1920

Picasso made this painting, Seated Woman (Olga), with oil on canvas at an unknown date. There's something about the way Picasso layers the paint here, not quite covering the canvas, that feels like he's working something out. The pink of her face and hands against the browns and greys gives the work an unfinished, searching quality. Look at the way her fingers are rendered; they seem more like separate forms attached to the hand, rather than a continuous, flowing shape. It's these slightly awkward, almost clumsy choices that really grab my attention. They make you feel the painting being made, the artist thinking through each decision, adjusting, and rethinking as he goes. I see a connection with the work of Francis Picabia. Like him, Picasso isn't afraid to leave the evidence of his process right there on the canvas. This embracing of imperfection, this willingness to let the painting remain open and unresolved, is what makes it so compelling.