In 1910 Picasso and Fernande Olivier spent a summer vacation in Cadaques, and this was where Woman with Mandolin originated. Having emerged from an Early Cubist phase which seemed, in part, expressive, Picasso was now in the throes of Analytical Cubism, a period during which he invested surface ornament with intrinsic value. In this picture, the characteristic fragmentation of form is carried to almost unre-cognizable lengths. Only the mandolin is comparatively easy to identify in the lower reaches of the composition.' Both the outlines of the figure and its internal drawing have been broken down into interpenetrative geometrical elements. The coloration is dominated by brown tones paling to beige. Blue-grey accents, often directly juxtaposed with dark, structural lines, imbue the painting with facet-like plasticity.