The Blue Room (Picasso)


The Blue Room is a 1901 painting by Pablo Picasso painted during his Blue Period. It was found to have a different painting hidden under it using X-ray technology in 2014 by a group of art historians and scientists from the Phillips Collection in Washington, assisted by scientists from the Cornell University High Energy Synchrotron Source.

Painting qualities

In The Blue Room we can see Picasso’s blue period being fully developed. His cool hues and strong use of natural light draw the viewer in to see this young idealized woman bathing in a tub in what we can assume is her bedroom. Although the painting could be described as patchy or mildly unclear, the subject and scene are still identifiable. The woman's figure and small studio background are typical of Picasso's blue period, as seen in other works such as The Blind Man’s Meal. Among Picasso's monochromatic paintings, The Blue Room has a significant role along with The Old Guitarist due to their rich details and inspiration sources rather than other portraits of the artist. The poster on the wall and colors chosen carefully to allude hope as inner meaning, come forefront in a superficial examination.

Painting materials

The painting was investigated by several scientific methods in 2017. The investigation revealed the hidden portrait described below and the identity of the pigments used in both paintings. Picasso employed a wide palette of vivid pigments such as vermilion, viridian, chrome yellow, and cadmium yellow. He used predominantly Prussian blue for the blue areas.

Hidden painting

Although this piece can be considered typical of Picasso’s early blue period works, something interesting has come up in the last few years concerning this piece. Using x-ray cameras, scientists from the Phillip’s Collection in Washington discovered another painting just underneath the surface: a portrait of an old man resting his head in his hands. Identity of this old man is assumed as art dealer Ambroise Vollard whose Vollard Art Gallery at Rue Laffitte. Vollard has had a crucial role in Picasso's art career by providing him his first exhibition in France.

Possible conclusions

Historians who have collectively collected biographical information regarding Picasso and his life during his Blue Period have concluded that he likely painted over another of his paintings because of his prolificacy in painting but lack of extra canvases. His economic state would not have allowed him to purchase the many materials needed in order to be a full-time artist. His “melancholy blue portraits” did not result in many eager buyers, or people willing to pay for the portraits he created of random people off the street. Picasso likely painted over several of his works until one would sell, earning money to purchase more materials.