The soup 1903

Here we have Picasso’s painting, The Soup, a tender image of a mother offering a bowl of soup to her child; painted in oil. Everything in this painting is drenched in blue, except for the little girl's skin and dress, which are a ghostly white. You can see the texture of the canvas through the paint, especially in the background, and in the woman’s dark dress. Look at the steam rising from the soup. It's just a few strokes of white paint, but it really gives you a sense of the warmth and comfort that the soup must bring. The faces of the mother and child have this wonderful expression that speaks to how Picasso saw them. This piece reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, who also dealt with themes of poverty, motherhood, and loss, although through a more graphic approach to etching. It's as though Picasso is saying something universal about our shared human condition and the solace we seek in the simplest things.