In 1909, renowned artist Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) embarked on a series of stylistic experiments that had a dramatic effect on modern art. This book examines the ways in which Picasso’s art of 1909 intertwines and engages with the larger intellectual framework of his time and sheds light on how the writings of Gertrude Stein, the philosophy of Henri Bergson, the theories of Albert Einstein, and even American comic strips played a role in the development of Picasso’s unique artistic style. With an insightful, interdisciplinary approach that focuses on how European society was grappling with the larger issues of how to conceptualize, write about, and visualize a rapidly modernizing culture, Painting 1909 presents a methodical exploration of Picasso’s stylistic choices and proposes new reasons for the development of radical modernist art that led to Cubism and, eventually, absolute abstraction.