Dora Maar with Cat 1941

Picasso made this portrait of Dora Maar, with oil on canvas, and in it you can see how he's always pushing, pulling, and twisting the image to find its truth. His colours are bold, raw, and emotional. Look at the way he builds up the surface. It's not just about representing Dora, but about the act of painting itself, the gestures and marks that create the form. The paint isn't trying to disappear into an illusion, but its there, thick and luscious, alive. You see it especially in the rendering of her face, where he applies the paint with an almost sculptural quality. One eye peers out from a sharp angle while the other is in full profile. There's a kinship with other artists who aren't afraid to break things down and put them back together in unexpected ways, like Francis Bacon. It’s as if Picasso is saying, "Here is a painting, and here is the process of its becoming." It's always a conversation.