Though the linocut was considered too limited and unsophisticated to be widely adopted by professional artists in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the simplicity of line it elicited fit perfectly with Picasso’s geometric and linear style. His work in the medium in the 1950s and 60s soon revolutionized the technique, shepherding its popularity into the world of graphic art. The linocut provided a sense of immediacy for Picasso that he could not find in other forms of printmaking; it allowed for more control and speed; however speed was only immediately accessible when printing with a single color. When Picasso attempted expand his palette from one to six, carving identical pieces of linoleum proved so tedious he invented a new method of multi-color graphics that allowed him to print every color from the same block. Femme au chapeau (Woman in Hat) is comprised five colors, all inked on the same block, starting with the largest base color and subsequently carving the details out with each new color.
Made from a quarter inch-thick piece of linoleum, the linocut bares the unique signs of the manner used to create an impression. A sharp, concave tool is pressed down and into the rubber surface, smoother than wood and less delicate than a metal plate. Linocuts also require less pressure than its counterparts, which creates lines specific to linocuts, which give the resulting image a vivid yet softer physicality. Femme au chapeau (Woman in Hat) serves as a perfect example of these lines, wide in the middle with tapered ends. Each impression, each stroke, is visible, including remnants of the removal of negative space in small dots across the image. Repetitive, rhythmic, and tactile, Picasso’s touch breathes life into the woman and her hat.