Pierreuse with her hand on her shoulder 1901

Pablo Picasso painted "Pierreuse with her hand on her shoulder" in Spain, but we don't know the exact year. The title "Pierreuse" is the French word for streetwalker, setting our expectations for a certain type of image. But how do we see her? Picasso uses a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, which are colors we associate with passion, love, and danger. Her headdress includes a rose, which symbolizes beauty, but also secrecy. She has a direct gaze, and is self-possessed, suggesting a life lived outside the bounds of social norms. Picasso painted this while he was still a student at the academy in Barcelona. Many of the paintings in this museum reflect Picasso's negotiation with the artistic establishment of his time. To understand this work fully, research into his early career in Barcelona, the history of academies, and the politics of the representation of women would be beneficial.