Composition

Picasso gave this drawing to one of his lovers, Dora Maar, an artist and photographer who was Picasso’s principal connection to the Surrealist group. With its unrefined shapes and lines, this drawing calls upon the Surrealist method of automatic drawing as well as children’s art, which Picasso was studying at this time. The subject is a fantastic ship facing out toward an endless horizon. Two stick figures, one on the land and one at the helm, raise their hands as the ship sets sail.