“Pablo Picasso” (1924). “This portrait, like that of Olga, Paulo's mother, painted in Spanish-style costume in 1917, provides an interesting note of sentimentality in Picasso's career. It is as though a return to naturalism is an interlude in which to recoup and play with the naturalist and figurative techniques of the Old Masters before advancing to the next development.

Here, the boy is dressed as the young pretender, baby harlequin, a literal and metaphorical replica of the artistic master. In fact the work is one of a series of the young boy, sometimes dressed as Pierrot, riding a donkey and even painting, all lovingly capturing the beautiful round face and dramatic eyes inherited from his mother. As he sits demurely poised on the chair, we can wonder if the portrait was completed with the assistance of photographs, as it would have been almost impossible for a child of this age to sit still for so long.

Again Picasso uses the technique of a heavy background against the bright colours of the outfit to throw the boy's form into exaggerated relief. The emphasis is certainly on the harlequin costume. The fine lines of the collar and cuffs, the handkerchief and chair edging also suggest that this picture is unfinished.” LAURA PAYNE               (Laura Payne, Essential Picasso, Parragon Book, Bath, 2001)