Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon

Les Demoiselles D’Avignon was controversial for its time, this painting was presented during one of the most significant changes in art when conventional western art was no longer used as a muse for artists. Instead, influences from other cultures became the focus of reference, like Japonisme, which transcended in Picasso’s painting by presenting the women in a very flat, two dimensional form. What also makes this painting controversial is that the time in which it was presented. Painting nudes of women has always been a delicate subject, even if documenting historical events. However, the ladies of Avignon were painted so provocatively that it must have definitely grabbed the attention of many while presented in an exhibit during the early 1900’s. What interests me most was being able to see the frequent adjustments that occurred in Picasso’s preparatory sketches. I noticed that the nudes took on different bodily shapes, some more geometric and others more round. One of the sketches would have included two figures of men, one holding a skull that instantly made me think of an iconic image of Shakespeare. It made me think what was the reference behind that sketch of the man figure– I questioned what was Picasso’s initial intent for that figure and why did he choose to remove it.