Silenus dancing in company 1933

Picasso made this party scene of Silenus dancing in company with paint, and maybe some chalk, definitely with a free hand. There’s a wonderful sketchiness in the marks. I really like how Picasso layers bodies. The paint is thin, almost like watercolour in places, and the colours are earthy - pinks, browns, and greys - which gives the image a kind of ancient, fresco-like quality. Look at the way he uses these outlines to define the figures, almost like he’s drawing in space. The overall affect is very energetic. This reminds me of the work of Philip Guston, who also used cartoonish figures to explore serious themes, but you could also think of other artists like Francis Bacon or even some of the earlier Renaissance masters. It's like art is always in conversation with itself, right?