The artwork titled “Woman styling her hair,” created by the esteemed artist Pablo Picasso in 1940, exemplifies the Surrealism art movement. Measuring 130 by 97 centimeters, this artwork is classified within the genre of nude painting (nu). The artwork is quintessential of Picasso’s exploration of form and his unorthodox portrayal of the human body.
In this piece, Picasso deconstructs and reimagines the female form with his characteristic abstraction and expressive distortion. The subject’s body is fragmented into geometric shapes and planes, intersecting at unconventional angles that defy natural anatomy. The woman depicted appears to be engaged in the intimate act of styling her hair, an everyday action transformed by Picasso’s hand into a moment of strange, dreamlike quality.
Colors in the artwork are muted yet distinct, creating a juxtaposition of the figure against a simple and flatly rendered background that focuses attention on the interplay of forms. The sharp angles and overlapping elements of the subject’s body challenge the viewer’s perception of spatial depth and reality, inviting a deeper contemplation of the work. The surrealistic features are exemplified by the multiple perspectives from which the subject is rendered, a hallmark of Picasso’s innovation within the art world.
