Les Demoiselles d'Avignon: Pablo Picasso
Coming from the Museum of Modern Art (1) in New York, Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon uses cubism to give the women's bodies unnatural shapes and angles. The women also appear as if they are wearing African masks. The combination of the masks and angular bodies destroys the expectation of female physical perfection in art, (2) some of their features even appear a little masculine. The painting was originally entitled Le Bordel d'Avignon (2) which calls the viewer to contemplate the internal struggles women working in a brothel would have gone through. These women are hiding behind a mask perhaps towards their clients or towards themselves. The sharp angles and masculine features of the women's bodies make them appear strong as if they have endure a lot and are no longer afraid.
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(1) http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=79766
(2) http://www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp
(2) http://www.pablopicasso.org/avignon.jsp