Head of woman 1901

This “Head of a Woman” is by Picasso, we don’t know when exactly it was made but we know he used oil. I can just imagine Picasso working on this; that green ground he’s layered on the board, trying to figure it out. It’s like he's pushing and pulling the paint around the face. The more I look at the painting, the more I admire the fact that he just went for it; smudging colours to give depth to the face and the details of her hat. There’s something really pleasing about the surface of this painting. The paint is thin, but it looks like he just layered it on, letting the brushstrokes do the work. The dots are all about rhythm. I think he repeats this move in other paintings, a device that other painters like Klimt also used! It is like they are all in conversation through time. For me, painting is about not knowing exactly where you are going, but just letting the process guide you, like Picasso. There are no fixed readings, just endless creative possibilities.