Vase de fleurs au coquelicot 1939

Pablo Picasso made this flower painting in 1939, using oil paint on a small canvas. What strikes me first is the bright, almost haphazard, color palette – pinks, blues, yellows – that don't quite describe the objects but instead create a mood. Looking closely, you can see how thickly the paint is applied, especially the white impasto swirls that give the vase its form. Picasso doesn’t seem to be trying to hide his process; each brushstroke is visible, each color laid down with a kind of joyful confidence. See that dash of orange near the base? It’s like a little burst of energy, a spark that ignites the whole composition. This piece reminds me a little of Matisse’s flower paintings, but with a bit more chaos and attitude. Both artists share a love of color and a flattening of space, but Picasso really tears up the rule book, letting the paint itself become the subject. For Picasso, like many great artists, painting isn’t about representation, but about making something new out of the very stuff of the world.