The life of Pablo Picasso has been analyzed a great deal in recent years; in many ways, the myth of the man himself has overshadowed his art in popular culture. The art, however, was revolutionary, and continues to hold a lofty place in the history of painting. These works are also immensely popular among those who enjoy displaying reproductions of great works in their living spaces.

The importance of works like "Les Demoiselles d' Avignon" (1907) cannot be overstated; some have called it the most influential work of the last century. The painting displays a group of five prostitutes, two of which appear to be wearing African-style tribal masks. There are no soft edges in this work. The jagged lines and violent application of paint give the piece a brutal and confrontational look and feel. Widely derided when it was first shown, the piece has received its just recognition as a masterwork.

Picasso was very concerned with the ways in which we see the world, and how that world can most accurately be portrayed on canvas. His efforts to make the world conform to a two-dimensional space often produced startling results. His "La Lecture" features a woman with a seemingly split face, her arms snaking at unnatural angles into her lap. "Three Musicians," a classic Cubist work, shows a trio made up of squares of color; its subjects are nearly unrecognizable in the "traditional" representational sense.

Picasso's later work is much more structurally simple and resembles folk art in its tone and subject matter. "Hands with Bouquet," one of Picasso's most popular works, displays a childlike simplicity in terms of line and color. Here at ARTinaClick.com, we carry high quality reproductions of paintings from every phase of Picasso's long and unique career.

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