Picasso Goes to Heaven 1973 - 1976

Red Groom's "Picasso Goes to Heaven" was made between 1973-76, and it’s like the party you wish you were invited to, right? The whole thing feels so off-the-cuff, yet there is a riotous energy and it's bursting with characters and colors. You can practically feel the watercolor soaking into the paper. Look closely at Picasso himself, he is riding on a swing. The green lines that hold the swing feel like they are made from one brush stroke, a confident curve, echoing the halo above his head. The fun of the piece lies in these little details, the way Grooms embraces the physicality of the medium, letting the colors bleed and blend, creating a sense of movement and spontaneity. It reminds me a little of Philip Guston's later works. Both artists share a similar approach to artmaking, where the process is as important as the final product. They embrace ambiguity, inviting us to find our own stories within their work.