1939 Buste de femme au chapeau 2 Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The portrait presents a female figure rendered in a fragmented and angular style. The subjects face is deconstructed into geometric planes, with a pronounced shift in perspective that disrupts conventional notions of spatial representation. One side of the face appears in profile, while the other is presented frontally, creating a disorienting effect for the viewer.
The color palette is restrained, dominated by cool tones – blues and grays – with touches of pink and white highlighting certain planes. The background is a muted blue-green, contributing to an overall sense of melancholy or introspection. A large hat with complex folds and shapes sits atop the head, further complicating the composition and adding another layer of abstraction.
The figures gaze is directed slightly upward and to the left, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation or perhaps veiled sadness. The mouth is rendered as a thin line, suggesting restraint or suppressed emotion. The hair falls in dark, angular strands that echo the fragmented nature of the face itself.
Beyond the formal elements, the painting seems to explore themes of identity and perception. The fractured representation suggests a questioning of fixed notions of selfhood; the subject appears not as a unified whole but as a collection of disparate perspectives. There is an underlying tension between the figures apparent stillness and the dynamism implied by the fragmented forms.
The hat, a recurring motif in the artist’s work, can be interpreted as a symbol of social convention or disguise, obscuring rather than revealing the subject’s true nature. The overall effect is one of psychological complexity, inviting viewers to consider the multifaceted nature of human experience and the limitations of representation.