Nu debout 1970

Picasso made this standing nude in 1970 with crayon and pastel on paper. It's all about the making; those visible strokes and layers show the thinking behind the image. There’s something very physical about the way Picasso uses color here. The green and blue and red aren’t just colors, they’re like solid blocks, giving the figure weight. See how the hands hovering around her chest are like ghostly echoes of the figure itself? It’s as if she’s both present and disappearing at the same time. Look at the black scribbles on the right-hand side. They don’t quite describe a form, but they add a sense of depth and mystery. It's a very different use of mark making to the rest of the piece. This reminds me of some of Matisse's more simplified figures. But while Matisse is all about decorative flatness, Picasso is digging into something rawer and more immediate. It feels like he's trying to capture a fleeting glimpse of the figure, rather than a fixed representation.