Woman Seated (Femme assise)

Woman Seated (Femme assise) by Pablo Picasso is a major lithograph created in 1923. Classified as a print, this work exemplifies the Spanish master’s renewed focus on figuration during the 1923–24 period, often referred to as his Neoclassical phase. The medium of lithography allowed Picasso to emphasize the heavy volumes and clear outlines characteristic of this style, departing sharply from the fractured geometries of his earlier Cubist experiments.

Following the intense structural experimentation of the 1910s, Picasso turned toward the human form with a profound gravity, borrowing aesthetic principles from classical antiquity and Renaissance masters. The seated woman in this composition possesses a monumental scale, filling the frame with her weight and presence. She is rendered with an imposing, sculptural quality, which defines the emotional and visual anchor of the piece. Picasso relies on strong, confident linework to delineate the structure of the body and the folds of the drapery, creating a sense of timeless solidity and volume. The formal stability of this period reflects a broader European artistic shift toward traditional representation in the wake of World War I.

Although celebrated primarily for his paintings, Picasso utilized prints extensively throughout his career, employing lithographs to explore and refine thematic variations in a rapid, detailed manner. Works such as this demonstrate how the Spanish artist translated his monumental figural aesthetic into the graphic arts, making key compositions accessible to a wider audience. This piece serves as a significant record of the artist's engagement with classical themes and is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). As a foundational 20th-century print, high-quality images of this work are sometimes distributed under public domain agreements, facilitating study and research into Picasso’s diverse periods.