Self-Portrait in Three Forms: Crowned Painter, Bust Sculpture, and Amorous Minotaur (Autoportrait sous trois formes: peintre couronné, sculpteur en buste, et minotaure amoureux) 1933

This is Picasso's self-portrait in three forms, made with etching, where he is having a bit of fun playing with identity and representation. It's all about lines here, isn't it? The way they loop and swerve, creating a sense of movement and ambiguity. Look at the Minotaur. The looping of the lines almost seems to give it a sort of vitality. It's all just line, creating a whole myth. And that's what Picasso does so well. He invites us to question what we see, to embrace the fluidity of identity and form. The art-making process itself is about exploration, about trying on different masks and personas, and about the ongoing conversation between the artist and his own image. Like how artists, like Philip Guston, also explored the self, diving deep into personal mythologies. Art is just a big conversation, isn’t it?