Focus on Girl in a Chemise and explain the Transformation of the subject.
The painting of the saltimbanque boy was transformed into the girl with some subtle changes, such as the elongation of the head and the addition of a chignon. The outline of the head and face was redefined by a line of ultramarine blue. Picasso made the neck longer and created a more feminine chin by rounding the shape and adding a deeper indentation below the mouth. The lips were also altered and coloured vermillion red. The feminine nature of the subject was enhanced by placing the blue background against complementary shades of brown. The nose of the girl was made sharper and more prominent and the ear was more defined. The eye was also shaped to appear more feminine. Picasso scraped areas of the paint near the nose and in the eyelid to reveal a blue layer, thus creating a more haunting atmosphere. The torso was created using a layer of dark underpaint, covered with thin layers of skin colour and pale blue, which was then overpainted with thick lines of white for the chemise. The washy blue background was created using Prussian blue and diluted black paint, which was then brushed over the scraped surface and then dripped with solvent or diluted paint to expose other colours beneath the surface.
chemise