Pablo Picasso, The reading, 1932

The Reading (1932), sometimes titled La Lecture, is one of Pablo Picasso’s most emblematic portraits from his extraordinarily productive early 1930s period, a time marked by sensuality, bold color, and the artist’s deep infatuation with Marie-Thérèse Walter. Painted in 1932—a pivotal year often considered one of Picasso’s greatest—this work captures the serene, dreamlike presence of his young muse, whose features dominate his art of the period.

In the painting, Marie-Thérèse is shown asleep or deeply absorbed in a book resting in her lap. Her body is simplified into graceful, rounded forms: a softly curved profile, elegantly arched eyebrows, a gently tilted head. These flowing shapes embody the sculptural, almost classical beauty that Picasso associated with her. He often described Marie-Thérèse as luminous, and in this work, her form appears almost to glow, rendered through smooth, unbroken planes of color that emphasize tranquility and sensual warmth.

The palette is vivid yet harmonious. Rich purples, deep greens, and warm yellows create a lush atmosphere, contrasting with the pale, luminous tones of the sitter’s skin. Picasso’s use of color here is less about naturalism and more about emotional temperature. The warmth surrounding the figure reinforces the intimacy of the scene and the softness of her demeanor. The bold outlines encircling her body recall Picasso’s neoclassical phase while also foreshadowing the expressive, biomorphic forms in his later work.

The book in her lap serves less as a narrative element and more as a symbolic gesture: a suggestion of interiority, contemplation, or perhaps simply the peaceful stillness of a private moment. Yet the viewer’s attention remains fixed on the serene figure herself, whose closed eyes and relaxed posture radiate contentment.

The Reading exemplifies Picasso’s ability to merge sensual immediacy with formal elegance. It is both a celebration of Marie-Thérèse’s presence in his life and a testament to the artist’s mastery of line, color, and emotional economy.