Verre et pichet 1944

This still life by Pablo Picasso, titled 'Verre et pichet', features simplified forms of a glass and pitcher, rendered in a palette of blues, greens, and grays. Imagine Picasso working on this – layering the paint, stepping back, squinting, and then adding another stroke with conviction. The blue outline around the pitcher vibrates with energy, as if Picasso captured the essence of the pitcher rather than its exact appearance. You can almost feel the thickness of the paint in places, which gives the forms a sculptural presence. A particular gesture that stands out is the way Picasso rendered the light reflecting off the glass. It’s not realistic, but it conveys the idea of light and transparency. Thinking about Picasso's broader work, he was always pushing boundaries, looking for new ways to see and represent the world. And that’s what painting is all about – artists in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other, and finding new ways of expression. It's an open-ended inquiry; there's never just one right way to see.