Bust of Woman with Yellow Ribbon (Jacqueline) 1962

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Pablo Picasso's "Bust of Woman with Yellow Ribbon (Jacqueline)" from 1962. Editor: It's quite stark, isn't it? Almost like a study in contrasts. The heavy dark background emphasizes the figure's pallid complexion, that pop of yellow is almost aggressively cheerful. Curator: Indeed. Notice how Picasso uses line and impasto to create form, but he also flattens the space. The planes of her face and body are simplified, almost geometric. The acrylic application draws the eye, making the image jump forth like bas-relief sculpture. Editor: The positioning of her features really throws me. That one eye pulled so far to the side makes her seem to gaze into another dimension, but I find I don't get a real feeling of caricature, though I suppose that element can't be discounted given the style of composition. She feels distant somehow. Almost tragic. It gives her a deeply emotional resonance. Is she real? Or an invention? Curator: It’s Jacqueline, his second wife. Picasso made numerous portraits of her, each exploring different facets of her personality through Cubist strategies and compositional variations. This specific image makes strategic choices in presenting dual perspectives simultaneously within one field. It challenges our traditional notions of portraiture, the construction of an individual, representation of self, if you will. Editor: Which always makes me wonder: what was *she* thinking about all of this. Being disassembled and reassembled into art. Was she muse, victim, collaborator? Curator: An unanswerable question, perhaps, but certainly worth pondering. Her participation as the model complicates the paradigm. The image thus performs that problematic space rather than occupying it. Editor: I feel that, deeply. Even in its fractured state, Picasso managed to instill such quiet, enigmatic dignity in this woman. Thanks for the close look. Curator: It's an image that speaks volumes without uttering a word. Thanks to you as well.