Tomato plant 1944

"Tomato Plant" by Pablo Picasso is a still life painted with oil on canvas. It shows us how the familiar can become wonderfully strange through the simple act of looking, and then painting. What I love about this piece is how Picasso lets the paint do its thing. It's not about hiding the process, but embracing it. Look at the pot holding the tomato plant. The brushstrokes are thick, almost sculptural. You can practically feel the weight of the paint, grounding the image. Then notice the tomatoes themselves, rendered in soft, almost translucent washes of red and green. These softer marks offset the angular leaves and give the painting a sense of depth, like you could reach out and pluck a tomato from the vine. Picasso’s approach reminds me of Matisse’s playful relationship with colour, though with a slightly different sensibility. Both artists invite us to see the world anew, to embrace the unexpected, and to find joy in the simple act of looking.