1937 Femme au beret rouge Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The composition presents a portrait rendered in a fragmented and angular style. A woman is depicted from the chest upwards, her gaze directed towards the viewer with a directness that borders on confrontational. She wears a red beret, its form simplified into geometric planes, which sits atop dark, flowing hair. The face itself is constructed of flattened shapes; the eyes are large and almond-shaped, one rendered in green while the other appears more naturalistic. Distinctive patches of color – salmon pink across the cheekbones and a pale blue on the chin – interrupt the skin tones, contributing to an unsettling sense of artificiality.
The artist employed a limited palette dominated by greens, reds, yellows, and browns, applied with broad brushstrokes that emphasize the two-dimensionality of the work. The neck is elongated and angular, merging into a garment featuring vertical stripes in red and orange, which are themselves broken down into geometric forms. A dark collar or shawl frames the upper chest.
Behind the figure, an abstract backdrop suggests an interior space defined by sharp angles and planes. These shapes appear to both enclose and distort the subject, creating a sense of confinement or psychological pressure. The signature is visible in the top right corner, rendered in a bold, almost aggressive script.
Subtly, there’s a tension between the directness of the gaze and the fractured nature of the representation. The womans expression seems to convey a mixture of stoicism and vulnerability. The deconstruction of form suggests an exploration of identity – a questioning of how we perceive and construct notions of self. The color choices, particularly the jarring juxtaposition of pink and blue on the face, introduce an element of emotional complexity that resists easy interpretation. It’s possible to read this as a commentary on the instability of appearances or a reflection of inner turmoil. The overall effect is one of unsettling beauty – a portrait that challenges conventional notions of representation and invites prolonged contemplation.