ines and soft features of the female body. Picasso painted three different kinds of women , which he then grouped by similar faces. The faces are very violent and disturbing. Essentially the faces are like masks from two different cultures. The two women in the middle received much influence from Iberian sculpture. They both have bulging oval eyes , strong eyebrows , large ears , and very heavy jaws. These features were essential characteristics of Iberian sculpture. Picasso received Iberian influence from two Iberian limestone heads that he bought in March of 1907. He acquired the heads from a thief that his friend Appolinaire knew. Previous to Picasso , the heads belonged to the Louvre. Picasso never returned the sculptures on the grounds that the Louvre had stolen them from the Spanish people.12 The women on the far left resembles an Egyptian style of painting. The body is seen from the side profile , but the eye is depicted on the side of the head just as the Egyptians did. There is also a slight African mask reference in the shape of the nose. It is very wedge like and angular , just like the masks of the women on the far right. The body however , does not represent the Egyptian style. It is much to chunky and distorted. African is much more heavy in the masks of the women on the right side of the painting. There is very much debate on when Picasso first came in contact with African art. Picasso himself claims that he knew nothing of African art while painting Les Demoiselles d?Avignon. His friends say other wise. Most of his friends believe he first came in contact with African art when he met Matisse in 1906. Matisse was known to have a collection of African art in his studio.13 Picasso?s claim that he never saw any of the collection seems a bit far fetched. There is also another account of Picasso?s first visit to the Ethnographical Museum at the Trocadaro. He was extremely influenced and complete...
