Portrait of woman in d`hermine pass (Olga) 1923

Pablo Picasso made this oil painting, *Portrait of woman in d`hermine pass (Olga)*, and the way he’s layered the colours, a sort of sickly yellow with a pale blue, it's like he’s working something out. Look at how the eyes are painted, almost cartoonish in their simplicity, while the rest of the face is rendered with a more studied approach. It's as if Picasso is inviting us to consider the act of seeing itself, not just what we see. The heavy lines give the painting a sculptural quality, like he’s carving out the planes of her face. The paint isn’t trying to hide itself, it’s right there on the surface. The way the face is both in profile and straight on reminds me of the way Philip Guston would come at a subject from all angles. But with Picasso, it's like he is using the image to understand something about painting. It's about the conversation that happens between the artist and the canvas. Ultimately, this piece leaves us with more questions than answers, and that's what makes it so compelling.