Sculptor Reclining with His Model before a Small Torso (Sculpteur au repos avec son modèle, anémones et Petit Torse) 1933

This is an etching by Pablo Picasso. It's all line, like he's drawing with a needle. I am looking at these figures, a sculptor and his model, and thinking about his process. Picasso is working out his ideas, shifting and changing the composition with the lightest touch, and allowing the etched line to capture the most subtle nuances of form and emotion. The flowers and torso on the table are just gorgeous. He may have been thinking about some of his earlier graphic works, or of course he knew all the French masters. I feel I am present with him in his studio, watching the etching emerge on the plate. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, and I wonder who will be inspired by Picasso’s mark-making. It’s all about embracing ambiguity and uncertainty.