Produced at a sublime moment when Picasso’s famous Blue Periodtransformed into his Rose Period, this tender drawing testifies toPicasso’s ability to create mood as well as form.

This exceptionally powerful iconic image of a woman was created during the height of Picasso’s masterful RosePeriod. In its confrontational full frontal majesty, rare for the period, it relates to a masterpiece of that year,Garcon a la Pipe (fig 1 below).

The power of the present drawing is derived from its searing depiction of the human condition, here even moreunadorned than in the more obviously decorative works. John Richardson quotes Apollinaire’s prose poem onPicasso’s works of this period as follows:

“More than any other poet, sculptor or painter, this Spaniard sears us like a sudden blast…those who areacquainted with him will recall that the manifestations of his ferocity transcend mere experiment.” (quoted inJohn Richardson, A Life of Picasso, Volume 1, 1881-1906, London , 2009, p. 357.)above, Pablo