Pedestal 1914

Picasso made this painting, Pedestal, with oil on canvas, and well, it's hard to know exactly when. I love the dominant tan-brown color and the way the lines intersect and overlap to suggest forms and shapes. It's as if the painting came into being through a process of trial and error, with the artist shifting and adjusting the composition until it felt just right. I can only imagine what Picasso might have been thinking as he built up the surface, layering thin washes of paint and then scratching back into them to reveal what's underneath. I love the way Picasso uses texture and color to create a sense of depth and movement within the painting. The thick, almost sculptural quality of the paint adds to the tactile, physical nature of the work. This makes me think of Braque, too. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, you know, sharing ideas and inspiring each other across time. Painting is just a form of expression that embraces the ambiguity and uncertainty of the world, leaving room for interpretation.