Two acrobats with a dog 1905

'Two Acrobats with a Dog' was painted by Pablo Picasso, probably in 1905, and is now at MoMA, New York. Here, Picasso uses a palette of blues and grays, which are really the perfect colors to express a certain melancholy, and you can feel it throughout the work, right? The surface has this incredible texture, almost like it’s been aged by the sea. Look at the acrobat’s harlequin costume; each diamond is carefully rendered, but still feels loose and free. Now, think about the physicality of the medium. The thin, washy paint application really enhances the sad mood. Also, notice the way the paint seems to drip and run, especially in the background. It's like the paint itself is crying, mirroring the sadness in the figures' eyes. Picasso was really engaging with the ideas of Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec here, these artists were concerned with the portrayal of modern life, and this painting captures a similar sense of fleeting beauty and melancholy. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation, borrowing, and building upon what came before.