1968 Buste dhomme Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1962-1973

The portrait presents a bust-length depiction of a man rendered in a highly stylized and fragmented manner. The composition is vertically oriented, emphasizing the figures frontal presentation. Here we see a face constructed from bold, angular shapes and planes, eschewing naturalistic representation for an expressive distortion.
The color palette is dominated by blues – ranging from deep indigo to lighter cerulean – which saturate the facial features and hair. These are punctuated by patches of green around the nose and eyes, and touches of red on the left side of the face, creating a jarring visual contrast. The skin tones are largely absent, replaced with broad strokes of blue that flatten the form and contribute to an overall sense of abstraction.
The man’s features are exaggerated; his nose is prominent and bulbous, his eyes large and somewhat unsettling, and his mouth reduced to a simple line. A thick, dark mustache adds to the caricature-like quality of the portrayal. The hair appears as a chaotic mass of brushstrokes, further contributing to the sense of disarray and fragmentation.
The figure wears what seems to be a formal jacket or coat, painted in white with darker blue accents along the lapels and buttons. These details are also simplified and rendered with broad strokes, lacking any fine detail. The background is indistinct, appearing as a dark brown wash that allows the figure to dominate the composition.
The painting’s subtexts suggest a critical engagement with conventional portraiture. The artist seems less interested in capturing likeness than in exploring the expressive potential of form and color. The distortion of features and the use of an unconventional palette evoke feelings of unease or even mockery, hinting at a possible commentary on authority, identity, or societal norms. The deliberate simplification and fragmentation could be interpreted as a rejection of traditional artistic values, favoring instead a more subjective and emotionally charged representation. The overall effect is one of unsettling familiarity – a recognizable human form rendered alien through the artist’s radical stylistic choices.