Painter and his model 1963

Picasso made this painting of a painter and his model using oil paint, probably over a few days, maybe even weeks. Look at the ochre and green; the angular lines and flat planes. Imagine Picasso, brush in hand, circling around the canvas, trying to capture not just what he sees but also what he feels, what he thinks about the act of creation itself. The canvas feels raw and unresolved. I feel sympathetic towards Picasso, imagining him wrestling with the canvas, the subject, the very idea of representation. What is he trying to say about the relationship between artist and muse? It's like he's deconstructing the whole process of painting right before our eyes. He's in dialogue with a long line of painters, like Matisse, Cezanne, and Ingres, challenging their conventions, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. It is a constant conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting allows for multiple interpretations.