Woman in a Peplos

This drawing of a woman in profile wearing the attire worn by the ancient Greeks is from Picasso's classical phase, in which he sought inspiration from the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. The strong interplay of light and shadow gives the work a sense of gravity and monumentality that belie its small size, almost as it if were a sculptural relief. Women played a large role in Picasso's oeuvre, with many of his paintings, sculptures and drawings showing them as models, in mythological or symbolic guise.