Two Nudes, Standing

1895–1904 · Werkzaam in

Barcelona

1901–1904

The Blue Period

The Blue Period began — somber paintings in blue-green tones with themes of poverty and sorrow; Picasso divided his time between Barcelona and Paris.

1904

Move to Paris, Beginning of the Rose Period

Picasso settled in the Bateau-Lavoir residence in Montmartre; the sorrow of the Blue Period gave way to images of the theater and the circus — the Rose Period began.

1905

Meeting the Steins and Matisse

Picasso became a favorite of the collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein; at one of Gertrude Stein's gatherings in 1905 he met Henri Matisse — a lifelong friend and rival.

1907

Meeting Georges Braque

Picasso met Georges Braque; together they became the founders of Cubism, a movement that rejected the traditions of naturalism.

May 1907

Visit to the Ethnographic Museum

At the Ethnographic Museum in Paris Picasso was struck by the masks of the peoples of Africa, Oceania, and Polynesia — an experience that influenced the formation of Cubism.