Researchers find a major secret behind Picasso's 1902 painting after spotting one missing detail

Pablo Picasso is a name deeply associated with the artistic world. The Spanish painter and sculptor who blessed civilization with some of the greatest artworks died in 1973 at 91, but the enigma in his painting still irks researchers. In a breakthrough feat, however, a team of experts from Northwestern University has been able to decipher a hidden secret that evaded notice for years. La Misereuse Accroupie, also known as The Crouching Beggar, is a renowned painting from 1902 created during Picasso’s “blue period”, characterized by somber, monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green. It became the subject of intense research after the experts realized there was an underlying painting beneath, per Smithsonian Magazine. 

Besides that, Picasso made certain adjustments to the painting that depicts a beggar woman wrapped in clothes heavily tainted with blue and blue-green. Through non-invasive imaging techniques, the team of researchers, comprising of scientists, a curator, and a conservator, discovered the image had a missing detail that Picasso originally painted. Infrared reflectance hyperspectral and X-ray fluorescence imaging done in a collaborated testing by Northwestern University, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Gallery of Ontario revealed that a disc originally existed in the picture. The woman held the disc in her awkwardly drawn hand but was, for some reason, removed from the final painting. 

Marc Walton, a researcher from Northwestern University, discussed with The Guardian, “Is it something that is religious but he then decides to paint over because he doesn’t want the connotation in this particular painting?” However, he also noted that the painter did not have any “qualms” about changing details in his paintings. While the experts were aware of an underlying landscape beneath since 1992, according to an official statement, the new detail left looking for answers. Since it is impossible to consult the creator, Picasso, experts have resorted to theories on why he might have altered the final result. “Picasso at this time is young and ambitious, and would say, Yes, I’m the El Greco of Spain,” said Kenneth Brummel, assistant curator of modern art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. 

He suggested that Picasso, in his early years as an artist, was immensely inspired by Spanish artist El Greco, per Science Magazine. One of his works, Penitent Magdalene, depicts the exact same hand positioning as that of Picasso’s The Crouching Beggar, Brummel revealed. It is speculated that Picasso painted over the landscape depicting Parque del Labertino de Horta, which was originally created by someone else, likely from his “orbit but not in his circle.” However, Picasso’s creation was not solely independent as the experts noted that he used the mountain lines as references to draw the curves of the beggar’s back, as indicated by the complex imaging techniques. 

According to Tate, Picasso is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century and his paintings are characterized by cubism, thus, spurring the Cubist movement. The famously known Blue Period spanned from 1901 to 1904 and ranged around themes of poverty, loneliness, and despair inspired by his personal experiences. The gaps in knowledge about this era that influenced the styles and influence of his paintings will be explored in an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Philips Collection in Washington, from 2020 to 2021, per Masterworks Fine Art Gallery.