Two dressed models 1933

Editor: Here we have Picasso’s “Two Dressed Models,” a pen drawing from 1933. There's a striking flatness to it, even with the details in the dresses. What can you tell us about this piece? Curator: I see a deep engagement with the social function of image making and material culture here. Picasso has purposefully chosen pen and ink, cheap and reproducible media. We’re meant to consider how images are circulated and consumed, rather than get lost in the illusion of artistic genius. Notice also the depiction of clothing - are we meant to consider the textile industry of the 1930s and its relationship to the construction of femininity? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the impact of the choice of materials themselves. So, by using such readily available materials, he's commenting on… access? Curator: Exactly! And on the act of looking. Pen allows for immediate reproduction. Line becomes both boundary and descriptor, questioning originality and value. Consider also the figures themselves - are they individuals, or are they representations *of* individuals, already mediated through social and economic forces? Are they symbols more than they are representations of women? Editor: So it’s less about who they are as people, and more about their role as subjects within a larger system of production and consumption? Curator: Precisely. Picasso isn't just representing figures; he’s highlighting the very mechanisms of representation. The drawing prompts us to consider the socio-economic forces at play. How consumption and creation function. Editor: That gives me a totally different way to appreciate his work and his artistic choices. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. It's vital we think of the means of art making.