126. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Pablo Picasso. 1907 CE Oil on canvas.

• Form
  • The three on the left are more conservatively painted; the two on right more radical; reflects a dichotomy in Picasso
  • Multiple views are expressed at the same time
  • Depth is limited, but ambiguous and ever-shifting
  • The painting has semi-transparent passages
• Content
  • Depicts five prostitutes in a bordello in Avignon Street in Barcelona, each posing for a customer
  • Poses are not traditionally alluring but awkward, expressionless, and uninviting
• Context
  • This is the first cubist work, influenced by late Cezanne and perhaps African masks and ancient Iberian sculpture
  • Influenced by Gauguin’s so-called Primitivism