"The painting ushers in a series of easel works on the theme of Spain, which became central in the Paris period of Goncharova's activities. In terms of manner, the work can be classified as a decorative version of cubism. A broken measured rhythm pulls together all the elements of the image. The figures of the women and of a dog with its hackles raised, which look like mechanical puppets living their mysterious lives, produce an eerie impression. Their faces, reduced to symbols, emphasize the symmetry of the composition; the hand gestures create a fan-like movement in its centre. The austere effect of the black and white colours is brightened up with velvety painting texture. The painting was conceived by Goncharova as an ornamental part of the interior scene. Poetess Marina Tsvetayeva, who saw the "Spanish women" at Goncharova's Paris studio, wrote: "It all comes for the cathedral: verticality, stoneness and laciness alike. Goncharova's Spanish women are nothing short of lace-covered cathedrals, right thereunder and removed therefrom. On the face of it: unbending. Laced strongholds."
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow