PICASSO - 3

In 1927, Picasso met Marie-Therese Walter, a 17-year-old French schoolgirl, who became his mistress.  No other woman is more intricately woven into the fabric of his art.

Reading at a Table - 1934

In this painting of Marie-Therese Walter, the time is night.  She sits reading at a table in a room illuminated by only a small lamp.  Her left hand gently holds open the pages of her book, while the right hand touches her garland-crowned head with fingers that resemble a feather.  Her pale blonde hair and blue-white skin give her a fragile presence within the dark and deeply colored interior.  Take note of the brush strokes Picasso used to paint her face and make her stand out from everything else.

The legs of the table are vertical, representing strength, height, pride and dignity.  In this case, the height of the table legs could be used to show Marie-Therese's height and youth because her arms barely reach the table like a child was sitting at the table.  Horizontal lines can be seen under her arm at the table, and also through her arms, moving the viewer's eye from object to object, representing femininity.  Diagonal lines represent action, forcefulness and strength.  A diagonal line can be seen on the right top corner of the painting, which portrays the action in the room.

The girl's head in Picasso's painting is larger than everything else in the painting.  This grabs the viewer's eye and forces us to focus more on her.  The plant is also modified to be almost as tall as she is.  It is understandable why Picasso was portraying Marie-Therese's youth over and over in this painting, considering she was only 17 years old when they met and he was 45.  At the time of this painting, she was 25.

The depiction of a woman simply reading adds a sense of quiet contemplation, which appeals to many of us.  The theme of a painting is the message or idea that the artist wishes to convey through their work, or the message received by the viewer when observing it. 

Our simple study of art here has shown us that there's a deeper meaning to art.....the feelings, thoughts and ideas that are communicated to us through the work.  Art has many purposes which can make it seem daunting to some, while others enjoy its complexities.  Every person interprets art differently, making it unique for each individual viewer.   The ability to express our ideas, emotions and thoughts is the core function of creativity.  Self-expression is important and sometimes just saying how we feel is difficult.  Art can be a universal language that transcends words and language barriers.