The artwork titled “Portrait of Olga” is a creation of the renowned artist Pablo Picasso, dated to the year 1920. Executed with pencil on paper, the work reflects the Expressionist art movement and has dimensions of 62.2 by 45.7 cm. This portrait genre piece is presently held in a private collection.
This particular artwork showcases Picasso’s skillful pencil rendering of Olga Khokhlova, his first wife. The portrayal is notable for its clarity and subtle intricacy, emphasizing the delicate features of her face through the use of pure line. Olga is depicted in profile, which allows for a focus on the contours of her face, the elegant curve of her neck, and the stylized waves of her hair. The lightness of the pencil application imparts a softness and a sense of intimacy, while the reserved expression on Olga’s face suggests contemplation or reserve.
The simplicity of the medium belies the emotional depth captured within the portrait. Picasso’s lines are confident and articulate, defining Olga’s refined features with an economy of stroke that is representative of his mastery as a draftsman. The style resonates with the Expressionist effort to convey inner psychological states through the external representation of form, although Picasso’s interpretation here leans towards a more realistic than abstract expression of his subject’s persona.
The work stands as a significant example of Picasso’s more personal and reserved oeuvre, demonstrating his capacity for tender and nuanced representation amidst his more experimental and abstract explorations of form and color in other periods of his prolific career.
