Head of woman 1943

Pablo Picasso painted this head of a woman with oil on canvas, and it's a real exercise in seeing. It's all about simplification. The way he reduces a face to these simple geometric shapes feels radical and kind of funny. The whole thing is underpinned by grey, against which the white of the face pops right out. It's not a realistic representation, but it still captures something essential about being human. I love the mouth! It's like a little grin, a playful gesture that brings the whole thing to life. The paint handling is really interesting, too. It's thin and transparent in some areas, and thick and opaque in others. You can see the brushstrokes, which gives the painting a real sense of energy and movement. I think about someone like Guston when I look at this, and how he also played with simplified forms to create these powerful, emotive images. Art is just one big conversation!