Sculptor with His Model and Sculpture of Her Head (Sculpteur avec son modèle et sa sculpture) 1933

Picasso made this etching, “Sculptor with His Model and Sculpture of Her Head”, using a very direct and economical approach to mark-making. It's all about the line, so clear and simple, yet so descriptive! It’s like he’s thinking out loud with the metal plate. The surface is smooth and cool to the touch, the etched lines just barely raised. These lines work to define the space, where figures emerge from the blankness of the paper; in particular, look at the sculptor’s face, the way one line defines the brow, nose, and cheekbone. It's incredibly efficient. It reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings, where he achieved so much with so little. This piece captures a moment of contemplation and creation. It makes me think about the act of looking, interpreting, and transforming reality into art. What is copied? What is invented? Art is an ongoing conversation.