The artwork titled “Woman with cockerel” by Pablo Picasso, created in 1938, is an embodiment of the Surrealist movement and is classified as a genre painting. This piece exemplifies the phase in which Picasso was engaged with the Surrealist movement, exploring the subconscious and the peculiar through his distinctive visual language.
In viewing the artwork, one is immediately struck by Picasso’s use of bold color and distorted forms. The central figure is a woman, depicted in a somewhat abstract form with a pronounced profile and elongated neck. The colors are vivid, with a stark contrast between the blue of the woman’s attire and the warm beige background. A sense of immediacy and distortion is present in the representation of her facial features and the exaggerated curvature of her form.
The woman is shown interacting intimately with a cockerel, which she cradles in her arms. The cockerel, recognizable by its pronounced comb and tail feathers, is rendered with a mix of naturalistic details and surreal exaggeration, mirroring the stylistic approach taken with the woman’s form. This creates a harmonious yet disconcerting tableau that resonates with the Surrealist aim of revealing the uncanny within the familiar.
The interplay of lines, such as those that define the woman’s profile and the checkered pattern of the ground, adds dynamism to the scene. Picasso’s work often reflects an engagement with multiple perspectives and the fragmentation of form, which is evident in this painting. The composition challenges viewers to question their perceptions and to embrace a reality that is filtered through the artist’s imaginative prism.
