Maya With a Doll (Boy Horse)

Maya With a Doll (Boy Horse)Years in the making, Myatt has utterly immersed himself in the life and mind of Picasso to interpret some of the most seminal works from the artist who redefined art as we know it. Capturing his revolutionary spirit and masterful methods, Myatt has portrayed works from the distinct chapters of Picassos career, including his Blue, Rose, Cubist and Surrealist periods. Each period is marked by significant stylistic and thematic shifts, creating a

Years in the making, Myatt has utterly immersed himself in the life and mind of Picasso to interpret some of the most seminal works from the artist who redefined art as we know it.

Capturing his revolutionary spirit and masterful methods, Myatt has portrayed works from the distinct chapters of Picasso’s career, including his Blue, Rose, Cubist and Surrealist periods.

Each period is marked by significant stylistic and thematic shifts, creating a narrative that reflects the evolution of twentieth-century art. Myatt has devotedly sought to represent the works with the spirit Picasso would have originally intended, to honour the profound connection between Picasso’s life and work.

“There are just a few artists who are born with a level of skill that it takes others decades of hard work to achieve. Picasso was one of those. And when you can do anything in art, what do you do? You either turn out dazzling displays of technical virtuosity time and time again or challenge your own skills by seeking to redefine the very nature of art itself. That was what Picasso attempted and achieved.” – John Myatt

This artwork is based on Picasso's Maya with her Doll, 1938 - As daughter Maya plays with her doll, an adoring father Picasso experiments with his latest exploration of space and color. The plasticity of figurative distortion continues, with facial features pushed and reshaped as if molded from clay. Picasso’s playful sense of fun and humor shines through: the doll boasts a realistic face, while Maya’s is surreal, creating a striking contrast. Both heads are humorously oversized compared to their bodies. The doll’s eyes coordinate with Maya’s outfit, while Maya’s eyes echo the doll’s sailor costume, blurring the lines between child and doll.

The doll may serve as a whimsical symbol of Picasso the father, reminiscent of his own childhood, when he was depicted in a similar outfit. This echoes his earlier portrait of his son Paulo dressed as a harlequin in 1924. Despite the modernist distortions, this painting of Maya evokes the sentimentality of that earlier work.

You can read more about the collection here or find out more about John Myatt here.