1937 La femme qui pleure 13 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The watercolor presents a figure consumed by profound distress. Here we observe a woman rendered in a fragmented and distorted style, her features contorted into an expression of intense grief. The mouth is agape, revealing teeth and tongue, while large teardrops cascade down the cheeks, emphasized by dark, swirling brushstrokes that amplify the sense of anguish.
The artist employed a limited palette dominated by ochre, yellow-green, purple, and grey tones, contributing to the somber atmosphere. These colors are applied in washes, creating a fluidity that mirrors the emotional outpouring depicted. The figure’s form is deconstructed; planes intersect at unnatural angles, disrupting any sense of conventional perspective or anatomical accuracy. This fracturing serves not merely as an aesthetic choice but appears intended to convey the shattering effect of overwhelming sorrow.
A hand, rendered with similar angularity and a stark lack of detail, reaches towards the face, seemingly offering solace or perhaps mirroring the woman’s own despair. The gesture is ambiguous; it could be interpreted as comforting or as a desperate attempt to stifle the cries.
The background is indistinct, a wash of muted colors that recede without providing any spatial context. This lack of grounding further isolates the figure and intensifies her emotional vulnerability. A triangular shape, possibly representing a shawl or head covering, frames the upper portion of the composition, adding another layer of geometric abstraction to the overall design.
Subtly embedded within the work is an awareness of historical turmoil. The raw emotion conveyed resonates with the anxieties and suffering prevalent in Europe during the late 1930s – a period marked by escalating political tensions and impending conflict. While not explicitly depicting a specific event, the painting evokes a sense of collective trauma and individual devastation. It suggests a lament for loss, a cry against injustice, or perhaps an exploration of the psychological toll of witnessing human suffering. The work’s power lies in its ability to communicate profound emotional distress through a language of abstraction and distortion.