Nana 1901

Picasso painted this work, Nana, at an early age, using oil on canvas. He’s slathered the paint on with what looks like short, energetic strokes, building up a surface that’s almost sculptural. Look at how he’s handled the dress, those thick dabs of red and white against the green. It’s not just about depicting fabric; it’s about the sheer joy of applying paint, almost like icing a cake. The texture isn’t smooth and blended, it’s alive with the movement of his hand. See how that energy vibrates around the figure, how the marks form a kind of halo? It’s a process of layering and building, of seeing where the paint takes you. There's a raw, immediate quality to it, like you’re witnessing the moment of its creation. In some ways, it reminds me of Chaim Soutine's expressive portraits, that same willingness to let the paint have its say, to embrace the accidental and the unresolved. Ultimately, this piece is a reminder that art is a conversation, an open-ended dialogue between artist, medium, and viewer.