Portrait of Mateu Fernandez de Soto 1901

What could hide beneath the blue pigments of this painting? 🖌️🤔 On the surface, Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto (1901) appears to embody the artist’s Blue Period. Lasting from 1901 to 1904, Picasso’s Blue Period is characterised by his use of a monochromatic blue colour palette. The Blue Period paintings often feature melancholic themes and isolated figures. The art of this period may express Picasso’s psychological state at a difficult time in his life. Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto is among the first Blue Period paintings. A sense of melancholy is achieved through the subject’s downcast and contemplative gaze. However, touches of warmth can be noticed in the yellow tones of the background wall, as well as the red painting which hangs in the top right corner. This foreshadows the vibrancy of Picasso’s Rose Period, beginning around 1904. This portrait depicts Picasso’s close friend, the Spanish sculptor Mateu Fernández de Soto. De Soto is caught in the act of creating, with his hands delicately clutching a ball of clay and a sculpting instrument. He is deeply absorbed in the task, suggesting the strength of his commitment to his art practice. Yet there is more to this painting than meets the eye… A recent study conducted by the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Oskar Reinhart Collection has revealed a secret hidden beneath its surface! 👀 Using X-Ray and infrared imaging, experts were able to unveil a second portrait, concealed underneath the blue pigments of the background wall. This second portrait depicts a mysterious woman who gazes out of the canvas. This provides conclusive evidence that Picasso reused the canvas, and painted over the original portrait. Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto is included in the exhibition Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces From The Oskar Reinhart Collection in London’s Courtauld Gallery. The exhibition runs until 26 May 2025, and unites an impressive selection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham