Portrait of Dora Maar 1937

This is Picasso's "Portrait of Dora Maar," and what strikes me is how he laid down these colors as if he was building a house with bricks, where each color feels structurally important. It's almost architectural. And, oh, the green on her face! It's not a naturalistic green; it's a choice, a bold decision. It’s opaque, thick in places, and you can almost feel the drag of the brush across the canvas. This green, combined with the vibrant reds and yellows, creates a visual tension, a push and pull that keeps your eye moving. I notice the subtle hatching in the green planes, the almost imperceptible marks creating a sense of volume and depth, and it reminds me of Cézanne. I like to think about how Picasso, like all artists, was in conversation with the past.