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and as birds of the night and birds of prey, they have been embraced as a symbol associated with psychic powers, the "angel of death." In Africa, the owl is associated with witchcraft and sorcery. Does this figure with the mask and head of an owl represent Gertrude Stein? Could he, like Stein, assume the mannerisms of a male? Had Picasso chosen his gender? Was this the exorcism he had performed? Picasso said "If we give a form to these spirits we become free.” This relates to the therapy of solving problems by "speaking them out." (Picasso qtd. in Rubin 26).

FORMAL ANALYSIS

How did Picasso design "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon?" Picasso, by using an almost square format, was able to contain the dynamics of the

figures in a composition which draws the viewer into the bull's eye of the center which is the pubic area of the central figure. The interspaces, sometimes called negative spaces by artists, are more active than what would normally be the positive or figure areas. Flashes like lightening demand our attention. Picasso loved knives and swords, as Staller reports, "but he was particularly fascinated by knives, sabers, swords, scimitars --- weapons that wound and kill by cutting." angles and points of pain occur throughout this painting. The still life went through numerous versions in the studies. At one time the crescent symbol of Diana was transformed into a slice of watermelon which had been seen earlier in the monk's garment in Zurbaran's "Funeral of St. Bonaventure" and Cezanne's "Olympia." Picasso overlapped three slices -- perhaps an allusion to the "Holy Trinity" of El Greco? A triangle occurs in most of the studies. Another Trinity symbol? Finally, Picasso uses the forms of Christ's foot and the heads of the cherubs attending that foot for his still life. Picasso gave us another clue by including the bow of Actaeon beside the hind leg of the figure on the left. The following diagrams may show how the geometric composition of "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"was organized formally. (Staller qtd. in Sierra 43, 44).

(64) Diagram A

In this diagram lines have been made by drawing lines connecting the corners. Next, a vertical line was drawn through the the point where the diagonals crossed. Next, an horizontal line was drawn at a right angle to the

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