Three Nudes and a Basin of Anemones (Trois femmes nues et une coupe d'anémones) 1933

This is a print by Picasso, called Three Nudes and a Basin of Anemones, but we don’t know when it was made. It's all about the line, isn't it? So simple, like a child’s drawing, yet so sophisticated. The surface is flat, almost like looking at a page from a coloring book. But it’s the implied volume, the way those lines suggest the curve of a body, that’s so compelling. Look at the central figure's face, how the line just barely defines the nose, the eyes, but it's enough. And the anemones, a little burst of life at the bottom, grounding the composition. You know, it reminds me a bit of Matisse, his line drawings, the way he could capture the essence of a form with just a few strokes. But Picasso, he's always got that little bit of an edge, a restlessness, even in something so seemingly simple. It’s like he’s saying, “I can do this too, but I’m going to do it my way.” Art is a conversation, a back and forth, a constant questioning.