Seated woman 1909

This 'Seated Woman' by Pablo Picasso is an oil on canvas, and a great example of his process of experimentation. Look at the ground, that brushy, mossy green – it’s almost like he’s painting a landscape instead of a portrait. The paint is applied in broad strokes, not too thick, but definitely present. You can see the texture of the brush, the way the colors blend and separate. The brown outline is so bold it's almost confrontational. It's like he's declaring, “This is a painting, not a window.” The head, though, is just a blank space. A void. And this void is so much more suggestive than any perfectly rendered face could be. It reminds me of the work of Francis Bacon, that same sense of unease, of something lurking beneath the surface. It’s not about what’s there, but what’s missing. Art isn't about answers, it's about keeping the conversation going.