Las Meninas (Velazquez) 1957

Curator: Oh my goodness, it's like looking into a fractured mirror, a deconstructed dream! Editor: Indeed. This mixed-media painting, titled "Las Meninas (Velazquez)," was created in 1957 by Pablo Picasso. What we are witnessing is not merely a copy, but a rigorous formal analysis of Velázquez's masterpiece through the lens of Cubism. Curator: A lens that's definitely shattered, in the best way possible! The grayscale palette is striking; it drains away the royal colours and grandeur, focusing everything on form. But look at those shapes! The infanta, she’s like a series of geological formations. Editor: The monochromatic tonality serves to highlight the geometric abstraction at play. Picasso systematically breaks down the composition into constituent planes and angles. Notice how he redistributes elements. The space seems flattened, with the figures and objects occupying multiple perspectives simultaneously. Curator: And the light! In Velazquez it’s almost theatrical, isn't it? But here, Picasso twists it. The light source feels almost…internal, like the painting is glowing from within its own fractured logic. It’s claustrophobic but in an exhilarating way. I’d be afraid to sit too close to the canvas, because the scene appears about to fall apart! Editor: The destabilization of pictorial space is central to Cubist principles. However, by choosing "Las Meninas" as his subject, Picasso enters into a dialogue with art history. This work exemplifies structural analysis wherein each shape signifies something beyond mere imitation. It explores issues of representation and interpretation, questioning our perception. Curator: It’s him playing, isn’t it? This feels playful, almost mischievous. "What if," he seems to be saying, "I took apart one of the most famous paintings ever and rebuilt it?" It’s like he's winking at the audience. Editor: One might agree. But even winks are strategically employed within art discourse! There is rigor to even play in his artistic investigations. Curator: It's as if history and imagination danced a tango and wound up...Cubified. I see its analytical brilliance! Editor: Its visual strategies offer endless new pathways into the artwork's core and its subject.