Picasso's 'Femme étendue sur la plage' Analyzed by Catherine Millet

In the second episode of a special series on Picasso, art critic Catherine Millet examines the painting 'Femme étendue sur la plage' (Woman Lying on the Beach), created on August 24, 1929 in Dinard. The work is part of the exhibition 'Picasso, Baigneuses et Baigneurs' at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, which is currently closed but theoretically runs until January 3, 2021. Millet describes the painting's small size (14 x 23.7 cm) and its visual ambiguity, where the woman's body blends with the sand and sea, making the horizon line difficult to discern. She notes that the painting could be titled 'Femme-plage' (Woman-Beach) due to this fusion. Millet recounts her initial encounter with the work in the exhibition catalog and her subsequent visit to Lyon. She also mentions that the painting belongs to the Musée Picasso in Paris. The article includes a poetic reflection on the relationship between woman and horizon, referencing Jean Ferrat and Aragon. The series will conclude with a third episode next week.