Angel Fernandez de Soto and his Friend 1903

"Angel Fernandez de Soto and his Friend" was made by Pablo Picasso, on paper, using all sorts of pastel sticks. I bet he walked around his studio and just grabbed whatever was at hand - those marks are so fleeting and intuitive, he really went for it! I can just imagine Picasso thinking, "How can I capture the essence of these figures with just a few strokes?" The yellow of her dress! It's this vibrant, luminous patch of color that really grabs your eye. Picasso really wants you to think about the ways that he can use simple materials to create a sense of light, shadow, and volume. The guy on the left looks like he is on another planet. Who knows who he is? What he might have been thinking? This piece feels like a conversation with painters like Manet, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec, who were also capturing the fleeting moments of modern life. All painters are in an ongoing dialogue, riffing off one another, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can do. It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum but emerges from a rich tapestry of influences and exchange.