a) Self-Portrait; b) Untitled (Woman Strolling) 1901 - 1902

This self-portrait was made by Pablo Picasso using graphite and watercolor. The piercing gaze of the artist dominates the image, framed by a curtain of dark hair and a severe, vertically hatched background. The unflinching gaze has appeared across centuries; think of the Fayum mummy portraits, where the eyes follow you, holding your gaze. The stern look is charged with a sense of self-awareness and confrontation. This motif transcends time, echoing in the works of artists like Rembrandt, whose own self-portraits reveal a similar intent to capture the inner self. This can be seen in Van Gogh's self portraits too. In Picasso's image, this intense gaze conveys not just a likeness, but a powerful psychological presence, a desire to inscribe the self onto the collective memory. This recurring motif speaks to the enduring human quest for self-understanding and legacy, reappearing through time.