1936 Dora Maar de face Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The ceramic tile presents a frontal portrait rendered in stark black and white. The composition is dominated by a rectangular format, emphasizing the directness of the gaze. Here we see a face characterized by simplified features and exaggerated proportions – a hallmark of expressive distortion.
The eyes are notably large and centrally positioned, conveying an intensity that borders on confrontation. They lack pupils, contributing to a sense of detachment or perhaps even vulnerability. The nose is reduced to a single, thick line, while the mouth is depicted as a downward curve, suggesting melancholy or suppressed emotion.
The artist employed bold outlines to define the facial structure and hair, which frames the face in an uneven, almost chaotic manner. Darker patches are applied around the eyes and along the hairline, creating areas of shadow that add depth and complexity to the otherwise flat surface. The background is a uniform white, further isolating the figure and directing attention solely to the portrait itself.
The deliberate crudeness of execution – the visible brushstrokes and uneven application of glaze – suggests an intentional rejection of traditional notions of beauty or realism. This approach lends the work a raw, immediate quality, as if capturing a fleeting moment of psychological insight.
Subtly, there is a sense of confinement evoked by the rectangular shape of the tile itself; it feels like a captured expression, a fragment of a larger narrative. The stark contrast between black and white could be interpreted as representing opposing forces or emotional states – perhaps joy and sorrow, strength and fragility. Ultimately, the work invites contemplation on themes of identity, emotion, and the complexities of human experience through a lens of deliberate simplification and expressive distortion.