1907 Nu Е la serviette * Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1889-1907

The composition presents a fragmented portrait, rendered in a palette dominated by ochre and brown tones with touches of green. The subjects face is deconstructed into angular planes, disrupting conventional notions of representation. A dark band suggests hair or a headdress, framing the visage and contributing to its flattened appearance.
Here we see an attempt at portraying a human head, but not in a realistic manner. Instead, features are rearranged and distorted; the eye appears disproportionately large, staring directly forward with an unsettling intensity. The nose is reduced to a series of sharp angles, while the mouth is depicted as a thin, almost hesitant line. A prominent ear juts out from the side of the head, its form similarly fractured and reassembled.
The artist’s brushstrokes are visible, adding texture and emphasizing the paintings constructed nature. The background appears to be an extension of the subject’s skin tones, creating a sense of unity while simultaneously flattening the spatial depth. This lack of perspective contributes to the overall feeling of disorientation.
Subtly, there is a suggestion of psychological complexity. The disjointed features and intense gaze evoke a sense of unease or introspection. Its possible that the artist sought to convey not merely physical likeness but also an internal state – a moment of contemplation or perhaps even distress. The deliberate fragmentation could be interpreted as a visual metaphor for the fractured nature of identity or perception.
The work’s aesthetic choices signal a departure from traditional portraiture, prioritizing formal experimentation over mimetic accuracy. It suggests an interest in exploring new ways of representing human form and experience, pushing beyond established conventions to reveal something more abstract and emotionally resonant.