Bust of woman 1965

This is Picasso's 'Bust of a Woman', made with oil on canvas and it looks to me like it was made fast, alla prima—maybe in one sitting, or two, or three. I can imagine him pushing the paint around, wet on wet, those reds and whites like a fleshy echo of the face emerging above the dress. I love how the white strokes dance around and through those strong red shapes. It’s like he's building the form but also unmaking it at the same time. That blue accent around the eye—so unexpected, but it works, right? It gives the whole composition a little jolt of energy. Picasso was always playing, always searching, and you can see that here. He's in conversation with the whole history of painting, but he's also pushing against it, trying to find something new. That’s what keeps painting alive, this constant back-and-forth between tradition and innovation.