Pianista 1919

María Blanchard’s ‘Pianista’ uses oil on canvas to create a Cubist image of a pianist in an interior setting. I can almost feel Blanchard piecing together this painting, shifting planes, and arranging geometric forms to slowly bring it into being. It is a really interesting composition. The color palette is muted but it sings, and the repetition of black and white keys is just so clever. The painting’s surface looks smooth, suggesting delicate brushwork and thin layers of paint, each carefully placed to construct the scene. Look at the pianist’s hands—those red lines implying fingers feel so deliberate. I imagine Blanchard stepping back, squinting, then adding a touch here, a line there, trusting her intuition. Blanchard was part of a community of artists, thinking and working alongside each other. Each painting becomes an echo of those conversations, connecting artists across time and space. It’s like we’re all just riffing on each other's ideas, you know? It's this kind of exchange that keeps art alive, always evolving, always surprising us.