A lamp 1931

Pablo Picasso painted "A Lamp," in oil, on a canvas measuring 162 x 130 cm, sometime in his career. Doesn’t it feel like he’s made this painting out of big, bold outlines? There’s something so immediate about the way he's laid down these colors and lines, almost like he's mapping out the structure of the image right in front of us. I like that you can see the underpainting through the top layers. It’s like a little peek behind the curtain. Take a look at the plant. Notice how thick and juicy the paint is, and how those daubs of green create such an organic, lively feeling. This is something that I think connects Picasso with Matisse, and lots of others. Ultimately it’s all just part of a conversation and exchange of ideas across time. It's not a fixed thing; it is always open to interpretation, which is what makes it exciting.