Head of woman 1921

This is Picasso’s ‘Head of a Woman’, and it was painted using oil. Picasso builds the face with light and shadow, the kind of painting that treats the skin as clay. The red in the face against the blue in the background makes the skin vibrate with a strange, warm energy. Up close, the surface has a soft texture, not as aggressive or physical as some of his later work, but that softness belies a real strength in the brushwork, the way he models the planes of the face. It's like you can feel the touch of his hand as he coaxes the form out of the canvas. Look at the eyes, they are dark and deeply shadowed, yet somehow full of light. The light makes the red of her face almost glow. It reminds me a little of Cezanne, who was a big influence on Picasso. Both had this urge to build form with color, always questioning the nature of perception. For me, the best art always leaves you with more questions than answers.