1942 Portrait de Dora Maar 1 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The work presents a portrait study executed primarily in monochrome tones – charcoal and white chalk on paper. A womans head and shoulders are depicted in profile, though with a significant degree of distortion characteristic of the artist’s style. The face is elongated, with an emphasis on the large, almond-shaped eyes that gaze downwards. These eyes convey a sense of melancholy or introspection.
The rendering of features is not naturalistic; instead, they appear fragmented and rearranged. The nose is sharply angled, while the mouth is reduced to a thin line. A prominent brow ridge contributes to an overall impression of severity. Hair falls in thick, dark strokes that partially obscure the shoulder and neck. These strokes are applied with considerable energy, creating a textural contrast against the smoother areas of the face.
The background is largely undefined, consisting primarily of broad washes of white chalk which create a sense of depth and recession. The artist inscribed Paris 19.42 in the upper left corner, providing temporal and geographical context. This inscription, rendered in a hurried script, seems almost an afterthought, yet it anchors the work within a specific historical moment – a period marked by significant upheaval and anxiety.
The subtexts embedded within this portrait are complex. The woman’s downcast gaze and somber expression suggest a state of emotional distress or resignation. Given the date of creation, one might interpret these features as reflecting the anxieties and uncertainties prevalent during wartime. The distortion of facial features could be understood not merely as an aesthetic choice but also as a means of conveying psychological complexity – a sense of inner turmoil that transcends mere physical representation. The stark monochrome palette reinforces this mood of austerity and introspection, stripping away any superficial embellishment to reveal what appears to be a raw emotional state.