Picasso on Strength in Reserve

“[Work] below your means. If you can handle three elements, handle only two. If you can handle ten, then handle only five. In that way the ones you do handle, you handle with more ease, more mastery, and you create a feeling of strength in reserve.”

Pablo Picasso

That phrase “strength in reserve” jumped out at me. I think that’s the one quality I most admire in certain musicians; as a listener you’re aware of their skills and their ability to go above and beyond at any given moment, yet they show such restraint in that moment, typically to better serve the song. I wonder what this looks like for a visual artist?