Tête de femme au chapeau 1965

Here we have Picasso’s ‘Tête de femme au chapeau’ painted with oils, and what immediately grabs me is its playful yet assured colour palette, where green and red get to mingle with black, yellow and blue. The beauty of artmaking lies in the possibility of such unconventional combinations. Picasso’s brushstrokes feel direct, almost childlike in their simplicity, yet they build up a complex image. The paint isn’t trying to hide anything: it’s thick in some places, thin in others, letting us see the materiality of the surface. Look at how the green tone of her face contrasts with the heavy black lines framing her silhouette, or the confident yellow hat which looks almost like something assembled from cardboard cutouts. I’m struck by the way he uses colour and form to challenge our perceptions. Picasso's continuous exploration resonates with artists like Philip Guston, who embraced a similar freedom of expression. Ultimately, this painting reminds us that art is a conversation, full of questions, and gloriously resistant to easy answers.