description Weeping Woman Overview
Weeping Woman is a 1937 oil painting by Pablo Picasso portraying the photographer and artist Dora Maar with a handkerchief pressed to her face. Picasso fractures the face into sharply colored, angular planes, combining frontal and profile elements to intensify the image of crying. The work belongs to a series of grieving women developed during the same year as Guernica and extends that painting's imagery of civilian anguish into an individual portrait.
insights Ranking position
Weeping Woman ranks #67 of 160 in the Painting ranking, behind Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, ahead of San Zaccaria Altarpiece.
help Weeping Woman FAQ
Who is the woman in Picasso's Weeping Woman?
The model is Dora Maar, a photographer and artist who was Picasso's partner during the 1930s. Picasso repeatedly portrayed her as a grieving figure in works connected to the emotional world of Guernica.
How is Weeping Woman connected to Guernica?
Picasso painted Weeping Woman in 1937, the same year he completed Guernica in response to the bombing of the Basque town. The crying woman develops the motif of the mourning figures found in that mural.
Why does Picasso fragment Dora Maar's face in Weeping Woman?
The angular Cubist viewpoints show the face from incompatible angles at once, making grief appear physically disorienting. Sharp teeth, the handkerchief, and acidic colors intensify the sensation of pain.
Where can the 1937 Weeping Woman be seen?
The well-known oil painting dated 26 October 1937 is in Tate's collection in London. Picasso produced several related paintings and drawings of weeping women, so other versions are held elsewhere.
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