Self-Portrait 1901

This intense self-portrait was painted by Pablo Picasso, but when exactly and with what, I couldn’t tell you. What strikes me is the process, the way the paint is laid down so raw, like a sketch but in oil. It’s all about the making, right there on the surface. Look at the colours, that ochre face against the dark ground. There's a kind of violent energy, visible in each stroke. The paint is thick, especially around the eyes, which gives him this haunted, staring look. I get the sense he’s not trying to hide anything, it’s all right there. Even the brushstrokes that define the collar look more like slashes. I’m reminded of other artists grappling with self-representation, like Van Gogh, in that nakedness. This early Picasso has a lot in common with work being made today; it's proof that art is in constant conversation with itself. It tells me that it's okay for things to be messy, unresolved, and maybe a little scary.