Catalan Woman 1911

Pablo Picasso made this watercolor drawing, Catalan Woman, on paper. The subject is a woman whose status as a regional type is signalled in her headscarf. But what does this image tell us about Barcelona at the turn of the twentieth century? Picasso spent his formative years there, and Barcelona was a hotbed of anarchist and socialist political activity. It's difficult to say if the artist's politics align to the Catalan identity. The woman is simply dressed, perhaps working class. In terms of visual codes, the loose brushstrokes place this work in the post-impressionist tradition, Picasso’s distinctive mark-making and choice of subject mark this as something of a progressive statement at that time. To understand it fully, scholars would dig into the history of Catalan identity, and the cultural institutions that shaped Picasso’s early career. Art is always connected to its time.