Pablo Picasso
Femme Tenant Un Journal, 1915
Pencil on paper
17.3 × 11.0 cm
6.8 × 4.3 in
6.8 × 4.3 in
Signed upper right : Picasso
Femme Tenant un Journal by Pablo Picasso sits within a key moment in 1915, when his Cubist language begins to soften, moving from strict analysis towards something more constructed and...
Femme Tenant un Journal by Pablo Picasso sits within a key moment in 1915, when his Cubist language begins to soften, moving from strict analysis towards something more constructed and legible. The subject—a woman reading—remains intimate and familiar, but is reworked through a system of overlapping planes and simplified forms.
The figure is built rather than observed. The body is assembled from geometric elements—rectangular sections for the torso, cylindrical suggestions for arms and neck—while the head is reduced to an oval with minimal features. .The newspaper’s folded planes echo the geometry of the figure, tying the work together while keeping the object recognisable.
Line does the work. Pencil marks shift between outline and light shading, with cross-hatching used selectively to separate planes rather than model volume. Some areas are left open, others more worked, creating a rhythm across the surface that guides the eye without closing the form down.
Around this time, Picasso was moving away from the more fragmented, almost unreadable phase of earlier Cubism. Working alongside Georges Braque, he began reintroducing clarity—objects and figures return, but remain in abstraction. This shift is often referred to as Synthetic Cubism, where construction replaces deconstruction.
The subject also reflects a broader interest in interior scenes and moments of stillness. The act of reading introduces a sense of pause, of inward focus, which contrasts with the formal complexity of the image. It’s a private moment, but one held within a highly controlled formal arrangement.
Femme Tenant un Journal balances both sides. The figure is fragmented, but still present; the space is constructed, but not closed. What holds it together is the underlying form—geometry used not to obscure, but to organise and stabilise the image.
For more information or to buy Femme Tenant Un Journal by Pablo Picasso, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.
Browse Picasso signed prints for sale, or enquire about selling Picasso prints.
The figure is built rather than observed. The body is assembled from geometric elements—rectangular sections for the torso, cylindrical suggestions for arms and neck—while the head is reduced to an oval with minimal features. .The newspaper’s folded planes echo the geometry of the figure, tying the work together while keeping the object recognisable.
Line does the work. Pencil marks shift between outline and light shading, with cross-hatching used selectively to separate planes rather than model volume. Some areas are left open, others more worked, creating a rhythm across the surface that guides the eye without closing the form down.
Around this time, Picasso was moving away from the more fragmented, almost unreadable phase of earlier Cubism. Working alongside Georges Braque, he began reintroducing clarity—objects and figures return, but remain in abstraction. This shift is often referred to as Synthetic Cubism, where construction replaces deconstruction.
The subject also reflects a broader interest in interior scenes and moments of stillness. The act of reading introduces a sense of pause, of inward focus, which contrasts with the formal complexity of the image. It’s a private moment, but one held within a highly controlled formal arrangement.
Femme Tenant un Journal balances both sides. The figure is fragmented, but still present; the space is constructed, but not closed. What holds it together is the underlying form—geometry used not to obscure, but to organise and stabilise the image.
For more information or to buy Femme Tenant Un Journal by Pablo Picasso, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.
Browse Picasso signed prints for sale, or enquire about selling Picasso prints.
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