Nature morte 1921

This is a Pablo Picasso, Nature morte, made sometime around 1921, likely with chalk or pastel. The real action here is in how solid forms appear to be on the verge of dissolving. The grey, chalky ground feels so unstable. Like at any moment the whole composition might just slip down the page. But then you've got these stacks of ochre lines, maybe books or planks of wood, and that central monochrome form holding everything in place. It's interesting how Picasso uses these quite soft materials to suggest hard forms, and he creates a push-pull between the solid and the ephemeral, the permanent and the fleeting. The black and white form in the center has these rough edges, like it’s been torn from a larger whole. It reminds me of the still-life paintings of Giorgio Morandi, but where Morandi used subtle tonal variations, Picasso goes straight for graphic impact. I see this piece as part of an ongoing conversation about how we see, and how we make sense of the world.