Adam and Eve 1931

Francis Picabia made this striking painting, Adam and Eve, using oil on canvas. Look at how Picabia builds up the figures with thin layers of paint, creating a ghostly, almost x-ray effect. It feels like we’re seeing beneath the surface, right? Which in a way, we are, as artmaking is always a process of revealing and concealing. I’m struck by the large, mask-like face that overlays the figures. Those big, staring eyes—are they windows to the soul, or just a clever trick? See how the lines of the face also mimic the curves of the bodies? It’s like Picabia is playing with doubling, with surfaces and depths, and also with the idea of the mask. This reminds me a bit of Philip Guston, who also used simple forms to convey complex emotions. Ultimately, this piece, like many great works of art, raises more questions than it answers, inviting us to engage with it on our own terms.