The beach in Garoupe 1955

Picasso painted "The Beach at Garoupe" with oil on canvas, we don’t know exactly when. The whole thing feels immediate, like a big, juicy process. Look at how Picasso lays down these flat areas of colour, like orange and purple – they aren't trying to trick you into thinking they are anything other than what they are: paint on a surface. But then he adds these wobbly, nervous lines on top, suggesting figures and forms. It's like he's thinking out loud. There's this figure on the left, kind of lounging, rendered in a single, unbroken green line, so casual, yet so precise. It’s a testament to Picasso's understanding of the medium, you know? It reminds me of Matisse's cutouts, this simplification of form, reducing things to their most essential elements. It’s painting, but it’s also drawing. And it’s funny, right? Art doesn’t need to be serious all the time, that’s what Picasso reminds us.