Reclining Woman 1929

This is Picasso’s Reclining Woman, and it’s made with oil on canvas. Just looking at it, I can feel the brushstrokes, the texture, all those flat planes of colour. I can imagine him, brush in hand, circling the canvas, trying out different angles. I’m struck by the woman’s pose, so casual, yet so… dissected. She’s broken up into shapes and colours like he’s taking her apart, and putting her back together, all at once. Is it voyeuristic? Is it loving? Is it clinical? It’s probably all of those things. What’s also cool is how he’s thought about the space around her, not just her, but the whole scene, the lamp, the fruit, the window, and then a doorway, just for good measure. He’s playing with depth, with what’s in front and what’s behind. Picasso’s always pushing boundaries, and here, he’s pushing the boundaries of what painting can do. He's saying it’s okay to be unsure, to be messy, to let the painting lead you. And that, to me, is the essence of great art.