Portrait of woman 1936

This is a portrait of a woman by Pablo Picasso, its exact date is unknown. The painting feels like a puzzle. The way Picasso uses blocks of color reminds me of building blocks, or maybe a fragmented mirror. He's not trying to trick us into seeing reality; instead, he's showing us how he sees, how he constructs an image. Look at the texture – see how the brushstrokes create a kind of rough surface? It's not smooth or polished. The dark lines seem almost clumsy, but they’re so expressive! It’s like he’s wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down but also letting it breathe. That blue circle at the bottom anchors the whole thing. It is like a weight, but also a kind of quiet, solid presence. The painting reminds me of work by Francis Picabia; both artists weren't afraid to break things apart and put them back together in unexpected ways.