“This striking nude, with her simplified form and direct gaze, marks a significant shift in Picasso's early work, foreshadowing his revolutionary experiments with Cubism. It's a powerful example of an artist pushing boundaries.”
A lone figure dominates this canvas, her body rendered in warm, earthy tones that contrast with the cooler background. The woman's pose is direct, almost confrontational, as she looks out at the viewer. Her simplified, sculptural form, with its heavy contours and blocky limbs, suggests a departure from traditional naturalism. This painting was created in 1906, a pivotal year when artists were beginning to challenge established artistic conventions. The raw, unidealized quality of the figure, along with the limited palette, points toward a new direction in art, moving away from the more lyrical "Rose Period" that immediately preceded it. The work's strength lies in its bold simplicity and the palpable weight of the figure, inviting a closer look at the artist's evolving approach to the human form.
- Artist
- Pablo Picasso
- Date
- 1906
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Canvas: 80.3 × 64.1 cm (31 5/8 × 25 1/4 in.); Panel: 81.6 × 65.4 cm (32 1/8 × 25 3/4 in.)
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The almost brick-like quality of her left arm.
The way her hair is pulled back, revealing the strong planes of her face.
The subtle blue-gray wash in the background, creating depth.
The defined shadow under her left breast.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Pablo Picasso
1881–1973 · SpainPablo Picasso, the Spanish painter who co-founded Cubism, revolutionized 20th-century art with a career spanning over 76 years.
Further Works by Picasso
The Old Guitarist
1903 · Art Institute of Chicago
Woman with a Helmet of Hair
1904 · Art Institute of Chicago
Nude with a Pitcher
1906 · Art Institute of Chicago
Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler
1910 · Art Institute of Chicago
Man with a Pipe
1915 · Art Institute of Chicago
Abstraction: Background with Blue Cloudy Sky
1930 · Art Institute of Chicago
The Red Armchair
1931 · Art Institute of Chicago
Portrait of Sylvette David
1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
More from Post-Impressionism
Olive Trees
van Gogh · 1853 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Gustave Boyer (b. 1840) in a Straw Hat
Cézanne · 1870 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Seine at Pont de Grenelle
Gauguin · 1875 · Wallraf–Richartz Museum
Albert (René) Grenier (1858–1925)
de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1887 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond Picasso and Post-Impressionism: works from the same years, and from the other movements Half-Length Female Nude belongs to.
Same movement · Cubism
Antwerp
Georges Braque · 1906 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Piet Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Surrealism
Death in the Garden (Legend)
Paul Klee · 1919 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Frauenkopf vor Sonnenblumen
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same movement · Surrealism
Dada Gauguin
Max Ernst · 1920 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Barber
Mikhail Larionov · 1907 · Russian Museum
Same movement · Surrealism
The Eye
René Magritte · 1932 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Landscape at L'Estaque
Georges Braque · 1906 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Surrealism
Untitled (Desert Landscape)
Salvador Dalí · 1934 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Still Life with Geranium
Henri Matisse · 1906 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Cubism
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Consolation
Edvard Munch · 1907 · Munch Museum
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Mont Sainte-Victoire
Paul Cézanne · 1904 · Detroit Institute of Arts
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Maude Adams (1872–1953) as Joan of Arc
Alphonse Mucha · 1909 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Composition with Figures and a Horse
Paul Gauguin · 1902 · Nationalmuseum
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Birth
Marc Chagall · 1911 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Charing Cross Bridge, London
Claude Monet · 1901 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1890s–1920s
Crouching Nude in Shoes and Black Stockings, Back View
Egon Schiele · 1912 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
