The brunette and blonde 

Curator: So, here we have Picabia's "The Brunette and Blonde," an oil painting offering a tender vision of intimacy. My first impression is of subtle seduction. A secret shared perhaps? Editor: Intimacy conjured with... well, just flesh tones, drapery, and what seems like a calculated division of pictorial labor. Look at how the oil paint sits: softly blended on skin but visible coarse texture defining the green curtain in the back. We see the labor here, don't we? It’s very self-conscious, almost industrial. Curator: Yes, industrial in its execution, yet intimate in its gaze. Do you not get a feeling of unguarded connection between them? I think Picabia captures the poetry of the female gaze... that sly glance, that openness... It's all so fleeting, fragile. Editor: Fleeting maybe, but fragility? I see the pigment as another type of material performing labor. And there’s a class dimension here, wouldn’t you say? We have one figure draped casually in what looks like finery, while the other appears totally unadorned. Curator: True, one observes while the other basks. There’s an emotional dependency at play, certainly. Think about the way the light dances off the brunette’s smiling features... It reminds me of old Hollywood glamour shots... but with an introspective twist. Editor: The "Hollywood" sheen reminds me how image-making itself became a kind of industry... and who controlled the means of its production. Think of all the labor that goes into creating just this one image… the sourcing and production of the paint, its transport and distribution. Picabia wasn't unaware of this economic and societal background to the making of art, even here. Curator: I find myself simply captivated by the tender exchange portrayed, lost in their private reverie. In any case, "The Brunette and Blonde" makes one reflect on the nuanced nature of observation and desire. Editor: Well, the next time I see an artwork depicting intimacy, I might remember all that is at play... economically, politically, materially... to create just a feeling!