Pablo Picasso - Woman Seated on the Beach Magnet

Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Woman Seated on the Beach, February 10, 1937 - Oil, charcoal and pastel on canvas - H. 131; W. 163.5 cm
Bequest of Jacqueline Delubac, 1997

The painting represents a nude bather on the beach in a familiar pose. The exaggeration of the volumes and the rejection of anatomical fidelity are striking. Feet and hands are not at all in proportion to the impersonal face. The contours drawn with charcoal add an even greater density to the body, while the modeling is highlighted with white pastel. The emphatic frontality of the figure turns the space behind it into a mere backdrop.