Las Meninas (Velazquez) 1957

Here's Picasso, taking on Velazquez in paint! Imagine him, brush loaded, circling around the canvas, trying to capture the ghost of a little Infanta. It's like he's wrestling with history, with painting itself. Look at the way he's laid down the greens and browns, thick and juicy. You can almost feel the bristles dragging across the surface. Those daubs of white and yellow, like little explosions, give it such a lively feel. There is a real weight to the figure but it is also somehow hovering. I think Picasso is asking, what does it mean to see, to represent, to remember? He's not just copying Velazquez, he is engaging with him. This little painting becomes a conversation, echoing through time. Painters do this all the time - they look at paintings by other artists, but see something new.