Pablo Picasso’s artwork titled “Las Meninas (after Velazquez),” created in 1957, is an oil on canvas piece that embodies the Cubist movement. Measuring 194 x 260 cm, this genre painting is part of the collection at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. It is a notable example of Picasso’s later work, where he revisited and reinterpreted the masterpieces of previous artists, in this case, the iconic “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez.
The artwork presents a fragmented and re-imagined version of Velázquez’s original composition, with a characteristic Cubist approach to form and perspective. Picasso employs the abstracted shapes, disjointed spaces, and multiple viewpoints that define Cubism, thus challenging the traditional notions of classical representation. The figures and objects are represented through geometric forms that interlock and interact in a dynamic and complex visual narrative that bridges the past and the present, showing Picasso’s reverence for the old masters and his desire to reinvent their vision through the lens of modernist aesthetics. The use of a largely monochromatic palette, with varying shades of blues and grays, shifts the focus to the interplay of forms and the dramatic reinterpretation of light and shadows within the scene.
