Head of a Girl 1947

This head of a girl by Pablo Picasso is made with sweeping brushstrokes of black paint on a creamy surface. Imagine Picasso in his studio, maybe Paris, maybe the South of France, grappling with how to represent a face with the fewest possible marks. Look at how the brushstrokes around the eyes and mouth are so decisive, capturing the essence of the girl's expression. There's a tension between abstraction and representation, as if Picasso is inviting us to complete the portrait in our minds. It reminds me of some of Matisse’s drawings, especially the way he could conjure up a sense of volume and space with just a few lines. That bold stroke defining the jawline feels so confident. It's like he's saying, "This is what I see, and this is how I choose to show it." With just a brush and ink, Picasso has set off on a journey to explore what it is to be human.