07. Neoclassicism

1917 - 1925

Music Selection: Prokofiev: Symphony 1

Returning from Italy Picasso’s work took a classical turn, representing full-figured, Renaissance-like, colossal men and women in a simplified, idealized yet realistic manner, reminiscent of Raphael and Ingres. This return to classical order followed, and could be viewed as a reaction, to the revolutions of Cubism and the violence of World War I. One of the most famous paintings of this period is his 1922 creation Deux femmes courant sur la plage (La course) — Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race). Some of the paintings of this period show a mother and child, prompted by the birth of his son Paul with Olga, yet also echoing religious iconography.