Picasso - Pillow Case - The Dream (1932)

Decorative pillowcase featuring "The Dream", a Surrealist painting of Picasso representing a portrait of Marie-Thérèse Walter © Succession Picasso Le Reve" (1932)

Le Rêve (French, "The Dream") is a 1932 oil painting (130 à— 97 cm) by Pablo Picasso, then 50 years old, portraying his 22-year-old mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. It is said to have been painted in one afternoon, on 24 January 1932. It belongs to Picasso's period of distorted depictions, with its oversimplified outlines and contrasting colors resembling early Fauvism. The erotic content of the painting has been noted repeatedly, with critics pointing out that Picasso painted an erect penis, presumably symbolizing his own, in the upturned face of his model.

Picasso's clandestine relationship with Marie-Thérèse Walter, while he was married to the Russian dancer Olga Khokhlova, inspired one of the most radical stylistic changes to his work. That evening of 1927, the 45-year-old father was enthralled by the 17-year-old girl who he saw walking alone on one of Paris' grand boulevards. He was instantly fascinated by her, and for approximately the next nine years, she was to be the artist "greatest love and inspiration. Marie-Thérèse was, in many ways, the antithesis of Olga, and that appealed to him tremendously; where Olga was dark-haired and suffered from physical ailments and depression that required hospitalization, Marie-Thérèse had light coloring and possessed youthful vitality. From 1932, when these new works were first exhibited in Paris, the successive periods in his art were heavily influenced by his love interests.

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter and sculptor, known to be one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. His style is characterized by his free spirit, eccentric style, and complete disregard for criticism to his work. His modern approach to painting was considered to be far ahead of his time. Picasso was arguably the first artist to have such a profound influence on the art world.