In Two Women in Front of a Window, Pablo Picasso bridges Cubism and Surrealism. He retains the geometric play of early Cubism as well as a framing device similar to many of his collages. At the same time, the freer drawing of the figure on the right suggests an interest in the subconscious sketching techniques of the new Surrealist movement.

The women of the title can be seen as representing two opposing principles. Picasso highlights the differences between the two figures by painting them in quite different styles. One can identify the figure on the left as a hard, angular woman (perhaps Picasso’s wife, Olga), and the one on the right as a more sensuous woman (Marie-Thérèse Walter, his lover at the time). Whereas the left figure is sharp and concrete, the right figure is inviting, delicate, and ghost-like, appearing as if in a dream.