1934

Female Bullfighter, II

Spanish, 1881 - 1973

Here the artist presents himself as a bull and his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter as a half-naked picador, or bullfighter on horseback, thrown from her mount. The rampant horse is Picasso’s wife, Olga Khokhlova, whose rage over his infidelities became so violent that she had to be removed from their home. Around this time, Picasso’s interest in Marie-Thérèse began to diminish as the stress of his double life intensified. The claustrophobic composition is infused with the drama and spectacle of a Spanish bullfight.