Baj Chez Picasso 1 1969

This is "Baj Chez Picasso 1" by Enrico Baj. Looking at this print, I’m imagining him in the studio, layering the inks, one on top of another, building up a surface that’s both playful and kind of grotesque. The guy’s got tears streaming down his face and a bright yellow hat. It's like he's wearing a costume but it's not quite working. I wonder if Baj was thinking about Picasso’s own way of seeing—those fractured faces, the emotional intensity. Maybe Baj is sympathizing with Picasso, poking fun, or maybe a bit of both. There’s this tension between the lighthearted colors and the heavy, dark lines that make up the pattern on his clothes. It reminds me that painting is an ongoing conversation, artists riffing off each other, sometimes reverently, sometimes with a wink. It’s all part of the game.