The absinthe drinker 1901

Pablo Picasso painted this absinthe drinker with oils and who knows what else, using brushes, rags, knives—the whole shebang! Looking at the thick texture of the paint, you can almost feel him dabbing and smearing, as if he were trying to capture the very essence of a hazy, absinthe-soaked state. I imagine him stepping back, squinting, adding touches of red to her face, trying to capture that flushed, dreamy look. The way he layers those blacks and reds, it's like he’s building up an emotional atmosphere as much as an image. The woman's hand, propping up her head, is particularly striking; it communicates such a weight of feeling. You know, artists like Picasso—they’re all in conversation with each other, across time. Each mark is a thought, a feeling, a response to the world, open to endless interpretation.