La cafetière 1943

Pablo Picasso painted La Cafetière with oil on canvas. Here, in a consciously naive style, Picasso depicts coffee, bread, and a knife on a table. The flattening of space and bold outlines are characteristic of his later work. But what might it mean? During his lifetime, Picasso was involved in numerous political organizations and he often depicted the lives of ordinary people. This simple breakfast scene might be a commentary on everyday life, but it could equally be an exploration of the artist’s inner life. How do we make these judgements? We might consider what else was happening in Picasso’s life, and in Europe, at the time. What did art criticism look like in France? What institutions played a role in shaping taste? The answers to these questions, found in archives and libraries, help us to understand art’s complex relationship with the world.