icts five female prostitutes in a brothel. In the artwork, three central women obtain the “simplified structure of earlier creations” (McDonald, 12). These figures are composed of flat, splintered planes. Arms raised above their heads, these three forms strike seductive poses. Though the two additional figures at the right edge of the work are still constructed having clearly defined planes, they are no longer modeled by light but violently twisted in a system of “internal torques” which is applied to the special framework and human form. The two somewhat distorted figures on the right are also adorned with masks that emerge directly out of African culture. Other works done by Picasso such as Negro Dancer, also demonstrate elements of African art. The Negro Dancer, also done in 1907, incorporates an African mask titivating the dancer. In addition, this composition is done in the celebrated cubist structure. Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein includes mask like treatment of her face, which was influenced by African artists. Other Picasso paintings indicating African influence include, Seated Nude done in 1907, Nude Figure of 1910, and Man with Mandolin completed in 1911. Head of a Woman, done in 1909, as well as Mandolin and Clarinet, 1913 illustrates Pablo Picasso’s interest in the sculptural form of African sculptures. Picasso was not the only European artist to find inspiration from ethnic art. Another artist, whose work exemplifies African influence, is Paul Gauguin. After being drawn into Impressionism, Gauguin realized that he did not agree with and later rejected the formless movement. Gauguin wanted to return to a “primitive style of art with simple forms and symbolism rendered in a decorative and stylized way”, (Brommer, 383). Like Picasso, Paul Gauguin also visited an exhibition in which he was subjected to African art. The Exposition Universelle of 1889 opened in Paris on ...
