Kinesias and Myrrhine with a Child (Couple etenfant) 1934

Picasso made this work with a pen on paper, using an economy of line to render the scene. It's a family; two adults and a child, their curly hair rendered with the same looping marks. I think of the hand that drew it. What was Picasso thinking at the time? Was he thinking about antiquity? There’s a classical feel about the image - almost like a frieze. Or was he thinking about the basic bonds of affection? The three figures are tangled together, each supporting the other. There is a tender embrace. The lines are so simple, but so descriptive. Look how the curve of a back creates a feeling of weight. It reminds us that paintings can be made from almost nothing. It also reminds me of the way line work, in general, can feel like drawing on air; a way of pulling ideas into being. This connects to all art, across time, because, you know, we're all in conversation.