Les Demoiselles D Avignon And The Large Bathers

In consideration of Bonheur de Vivre, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, and The Large Bathers, we can see an evolution of the Post-Modernist style. Paul Cézanne’s Post-Impressionist masterpiece entitled "The Large Bathers" is an oil on canvas work which was painted in 1905. The large bathers was the last (and largest) in a series of works by Cézanne which were intentionally designed not to appeal to the untrained observer in an attempt to create a timeless appearance. This disregard for artistic conventions of the time allowed other artists (including Matisse and Picasso) to challenge contemporary trends. The nude female subjects featured in the painting create tension and their symmetry contrasts yet compliments the triangular trees.

Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre, another enormous work on canvas, was started in 1905 and completed in 1906. While this work also features nude figures, the curvaceous figures engaged in passionate embrace makes the subject matter is considerably more graphic and Matisse’s use of color is much more vivid. Unlike Cézanne’s Bathers, Matisse’s work has a definite depth, though it features prominent spatial distortion. When Bonheur de Vivre was first exhibited it caused quite a stir with the public but invigorated Picasso and other artists to push their artistic boundaries.
Unlike Cézanne’s bathers and Matisse’s lovers, Picasso chose to paint his nudes as prostitutes standing in aggressive poses. Borrowing from Cézanne’s work, Picasso chose to create a flattened, two-dimensional image using geometric shards, completely disregarding all perspective. If Matisse’s Bonheur de Vivre created a stir, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon was described as both immoral and