Description
We know very little about the woman depicted in this blue-hued drawing beyond her first name: Madeleine. She was likely Picasso’s model and lover during the summer of 1904; this depiction of her shows him experimenting with color and form to explore somber emotional states.
Provenance
Alfred Gold, Berlin [French Impressionists Old Masters 1930]. Sold by Chester H. Johnson Galleries, Chicago to Walter S. Brewster (1872–1954), Chicago, December 4, 1929 [invoice]; bequeathed by his wife, Kate Brewster (née Lancaster; c. 1879–1947) to the Art Institute, 1950.
Accession Number
68414
Medium
Gouache on tan wood pulp board
Dimensions
42.7 × 31.3 cm (16 13/16 × 12 3/8 in.)
Classification
gouache
Credit Line
Bequest of Kate L. Brewster
Background & Context
Background Story
Pablo Picasso's Woman with a Helmet of Hair (1904) is a gouache on tan wood pulp board from the Blue Period. The title describes the woman's hair, which forms a helmet-like shape around her head. This work shows Picasso's early Blue Period style, the monochromatic blue palette conveying a mood of melancholy and introspection.
Cultural Impact
Picasso's Blue Period was a crucial phase in his development, establishing his mature artistic identity.
Why It Matters
This Blue Period gouache of a woman with helmet-like hair captures the melancholy mood characteristic of the period.
