Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Mateu Fernandez de Soto, 1901.
After his death, Picasso took over his old rooms in Paris and turned them into his studio.
During this period, Picasso faced financial struggles and frequently reused canvases rather than discarding them.
Pablo Picasso, “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto,” 1901. Oskar Reinhart collection “Am Römerholz,” Winterthur, Switzerland
Instead of whitewashing previous paintings, he simply layered new compositions over them.
The identity of the mysterious woman depicted beneath De Sotos portrait remains unknown.
All that begins with a painting like this.
X-ray image of Portrait of Mateu Fernandez de Soto.
Department of Conservation, The Courtauld, London
Infrared image of Portrait of Mateu Fernandez de Soto.
Infrared image of “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto.” Department of Conservation, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London
