Head of a man with hat 1912

This is Pablo Picasso’s, Head of a Man with a Hat, made using paper, charcoal and paint. It’s all about how you see, isn’t it? Picasso is laying out a process, almost like an instruction manual for seeing the world in a new way. Look at the different textures; the rough, scratchy charcoal, the smooth, flat colour of the paint. And then there is the texture of the newspaper! He wants you to know it's there. He's not trying to trick you. He's saying, "Hey, this is a painting, but it's also a bunch of stuff. I put this together like a cook following a recipe." Look at that crisp blue block of colour. It's like a mask. A face, but not really. More like an idea of a face. It reminds me of Juan Gris who, like Picasso, was also working in Paris at this time, turning the world inside out. Really, art is just a conversation, isn't it? A way of thinking out loud together.