1965 menton Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1962-1973

The composition presents a figure holding a child within a verdant setting. The date 28.10.65 is inscribed in the upper left corner, providing a temporal anchor for the work. Here we see a woman, rendered with characteristic angularity and fragmented planes, dominating the visual field. Her face, composed of stark contrasts between light and shadow, possesses an unsettling stillness conveyed through large, direct eyes. The nose is reduced to a flattened plane, while the mouth appears as a dark, ambiguous void.
The child held by the woman exhibits a more rounded form, with a simplified facial structure that suggests innocence or perhaps a detached observation of the scene. The child’s gaze meets the viewers directly, creating an unsettling intimacy. The figure’s clothing is delineated through broad strokes of blue and ochre, contributing to the overall sense of flattened perspective.
The background consists primarily of varying shades of green, punctuated by stylized floral elements that appear almost as extensions of the figures themselves. These plants are not rendered naturalistically; instead, they possess a sharp, graphic quality, echoing the fragmented nature of the human forms. The color palette is restrained, relying on blues, greens, and earth tones to establish a somber mood.
Subtextually, the work seems to explore themes of maternal connection alongside an underlying sense of alienation or psychological distance. The woman’s impassive expression and the childs direct gaze suggest a complex relationship that defies easy interpretation. The flattened perspective and fragmented forms contribute to a feeling of unease, hinting at a disruption of reality or a fractured emotional landscape. The presence of the flowers could be interpreted as symbols of hope or renewal, yet their stylized rendering prevents them from offering any straightforward reassurance. Overall, the painting conveys a sense of quiet tension and psychological complexity, inviting contemplation on themes of family, identity, and perception.