From The National Gallery of Victoria:
Picasso returned to the theme of the Weeping Woman, first seen in Guernica clutching the body of her dead child, in a series of drawings, etchings and paintings made in September and October of 1937. These unsettling, emotive works are often read simplistically as mere descriptions of Dora's fiery temperament and the volatile nature of her relationship with Picasso. They are, however, far more complex and explore the fascinating dynamic between the works, the artist and the model.
While the Weeping Women series embodies the essence of Picasso's beloved muse, Dora, it can also be read as a self–portrait revealing the inner torment of a man haunted by horrific images of the massacres taking place in the Spanish Civil War. In the artistic partnership between Dora and Picasso we again see the special empathy between the lovers, where Dora is not simply a model but an impassioned political accomplice (outraged by Fascism) deeply committed to conveying a powerful, universal message condemning war. Dora willingly submits her features to be brutally distorted and deconstructed by Picasso who contorts her beauty into a harsh ugliness to arouse raw human emotions of anguish, compassion and despair.