The Large Pigeon (Le gros pigeon) 1947

Pablo Picasso made this lithograph called 'The Large Pigeon' in 1947, and what grabs me is the starkness of it. It's all in black and white, with these immediate, almost violent marks shaping this plump bird. It feels like a direct grab at something real, like Picasso was wrestling with the essence of 'pigeon-ness' itself. The texture is all in the strokes, you can almost feel the scratch of the litho crayon on the stone. Look at how the dark, dense strokes build the pigeon's shadowy base, then dissolve into softer, feathered edges as it rises. It's like he's showing us how to see; defining the weight with the darks, letting the light shape the form. The messy, almost exploding head plumage in particular, captures an energy that’s so vital and alive. This directness reminds me of the German Expressionists, like Emil Nolde, who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty and let the process show. It’s art as a conversation, one artist riffing off another, each adding their own voice to the mix.