Artist's studio on street La Boetie 1920

Pablo Picasso made this drawing of his studio on the Rue La Boetie in Paris, with ink on paper. It's all about the build-up of simple lines. Like when I’m painting, he’s feeling his way through the space, one shape at a time. The drawing shows us a room crammed full of the tools of his trade: paintings, frames, easels. Look at the floor! Brushes, books, a palette – it's a beautiful mess. I love the way he’s suggested the paintings within the painting, each one a portal into another world, another way of seeing. Notice the way he's drawn the guitar hanging on the wall, it's like another painting, but this time a real one. It also reminds me of Braque, who painted similar instruments in his cubist works. This image is like a conversation between Picasso and the history of art. He's not just showing us his studio, he’s showing us how he sees and thinks about art. It's a reminder that art is always an ongoing process, a dialogue between artists and ideas.