Pablo Picasso’s The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro, is a landscape painting completed in 1909. The painting depicts the village of Horta de Sant Joan with simplified geometric shapes interlocking the foreground architecture with the background topography. This painting can be classified under Cubism style, which Picasso helped pioneer during his visit to southern Spain in 1909.
Picasso had visited the village twice before beginning his series of landscape views during his later visit. The landscapes he produced were critical for Cubism’s development as they allowed him to explore multiple perspectives using faceted forms and simplified geometric shapes. Although known for his avant-garde style, this masterpiece illustrates a sensitivity to both nature and tradition.
