Girl in a hat with her arms crossed 1920

Picasso drew this girl in a hat with her arms crossed using pastel, although it could be charcoal, or both! It’s funny how, as painters, we often find ourselves trying to decode how something was made, like detectives at the scene of the crime. The colors are so muted, dusky pinks and blues, almost like the whole thing's been dipped in twilight. Look at the way the pastel is layered, especially around the face, creating this almost sculptural quality. It’s not just drawing; it’s like he’s building up the form, bit by bit. And those hands, clasped so tightly, have a lot of tension. It reminds me a bit of some of Kirchner's portraits, that same kind of psychological intensity. With this piece, it's like Picasso's hinting at something deeper, a kind of introspection or unease beneath the surface. It's a reminder that art isn't always about answers; it's about posing questions, inviting us to linger in the ambiguity.