Reading 1932

Here, Pablo Picasso presents us with ‘Reading’, an oil on canvas whose exact date remains unknown. The painting features a seated woman rendered in Picasso’s distinctive Cubist style, with the composition playing on the deconstruction of form and perspective. The subject’s face is perhaps the most striking example of this, split into profiles that simultaneously challenge traditional portraiture. Picasso uses a varied palette, with cool blues and purples contrasting against warmer yellows and reds, creating a dynamic visual tension. The interplay of geometric shapes – note the spherical breast, the sharp angles of the chair – and the flattening of space also serve to destabilize conventional notions of depth and volume. Through his innovative manipulation of form and color, Picasso prompts us to question the very nature of representation and perception. He destabilizes our understanding of space and perspective, offering a complex reflection on the act of seeing itself.