Reclining Woman

Reclining Woman was one of a series of drawings of bathers that Pablo Picasso began in 1918. At that time, he departed from the Synthetic Cubism that had defined his work for most of the preceding decade and entered his neoclassical phase. Works in this period reflected his study of classical art and are characterized by a spare, pure line and monumental, idealized figures, though with elongated proportions and massive hands. Picasso’s paintings of giant bathers from 1920–22 were often preceded by small drawings such as this one, where he demonstrates his virtuoso skill in fluid, rhythmic outlines and simple compositions in an intimate format.