Picasso’s affinity with Spanish Mannerism is apparent in this composition, dating back from the beginning of the Blue Period. This was a time where the artist conveyed elongated proportions and ecstatic, angular gestures. Additionally, he displayed the relationship between space and figure expressing distress, hunger, and oppression within humanity. La Celestina serves as a personification of these feelings and of the style in which it found its form. Depicted is an old one-eyed woman dressed in somber color, staring out to the viewer. She is cold and distant, yet there is something menacing about her expression that resonates with the viewer. The simplicity of its color and the economy of its line makes the portrait comparable to El Greco’s restrained, emotive portraits; an artist Picasso so admired. Picasso is able to successfully convey his solidarity and active compassion for the poor, to whom he belonged to during this period of his life.     

SKU: 6964
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: 1903
Original Medium: oil on Canvas
Original Size: 29 5/16 x 23 1/6 in
Location: Musée National Picasso
© Succession Picasso 2010 – Gestion droits d’auteur