1939 TИte de femme au chapeau mauve Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

Here we observe a portrait rendered in a style characterized by fragmentation and distortion. The subject is a woman wearing a hat adorned with a floral detail; the composition is cropped tightly around her face and upper torso. A date, 27.10.39, appears in the upper left corner, providing a temporal anchor for the work.
The artist’s approach to representation prioritizes an exploration of form over naturalistic depiction. The facial features are rearranged and simplified; the eyes are disproportionately large and positioned asymmetrically, conveying a sense of unease or heightened emotionality. A prominent yellow streak bisects the nose, disrupting the symmetry of the face and contributing to its unsettling quality. The mouth is reduced to an abbreviated shape, lacking any discernible expression.
The hair is depicted with thick, angular strokes in shades of green, creating a textural contrast against the pale skin tones. The hat itself is rendered as a dark, almost monolithic form, partially obscuring the forehead and contributing to the sense of confinement or oppression. The floral detail on the hat offers a small element of visual relief but does not mitigate the overall feeling of tension.
Below the face, a garment with a high collar is visible, its colors – blue and white – providing a stark contrast against the skin tones. The flatness of the composition, coupled with the limited color palette, reinforces the painting’s stylized nature.
Subtextually, the work seems to grapple with themes of identity and perception. The fractured representation suggests a breakdown or questioning of conventional notions of beauty and femininity. The date inscribed on the canvas hints at a specific historical context – the eve of World War II – which may inform the sense of anxiety and disruption present in the portrait. The exaggerated features and distorted forms could be interpreted as an expression of psychological distress or a commentary on the dehumanizing effects of conflict. Ultimately, the painting resists easy interpretation, inviting viewers to engage with its ambiguities and confront their own preconceptions about representation and identity.