A parody of Manet's Olympia with Junyer and Picasso 1902

Picasso made this crayon drawing, a parody of Manet's Olympia, sometime in his life. Look at the blues and yellows, sketched on paper with such a loose hand, it’s like he's dancing with the history of painting itself. Imagine Picasso, maybe with a smirk, thinking about Manet's cool, confrontational nude. Here, Olympia’s lounging pose is still there, but with a twist. He’s added figures, is that supposed to be him and another artist, and a bowl of fruit. It’s funny! The drawing feels like a quick thought, a fleeting idea jotted down. The lines are scratchy, and imperfect, giving it this raw, immediate feel. It’s like he’s in conversation with Manet and with all of art history, riffing off it, messing with it, and totally making it his own. And maybe that’s what painting is all about: not just making something new, but talking back to what’s already there.