P a b l o P i c a s s o
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This is a remarkable example of Picasso's ability to combine a wide range of materials, including ordinary objects such as corrugated paper, doilies and foil, into a single, well-integrated composition. Moreover he had also incorporated into it his own drawing of a Minotaur, a mythical beast that had come to have a special significance for him. In Greek legend the Minotaur was a monstrous creature, with the head of a bull and the body of a man, who lived deep in a labyrinth in Knossos, the chief city of ancient Crete; Greek youths and maidens were regularly given to him as sacrifices until he was slain by the hero Theseus.
In his many appearances in Picasso's art the Minotaur is a terrifying figure, capable of murder and rape, yet not so much good or evil as a kind of force of nature; significantly, Picasso himself identified with the beast. In photographic form the collage was used as the front page of a magazine, Minotaure.
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Source: Life and Works of Picasso
Further Reading: Biography I
Further Reading: Life of Picasso
Further Reading: Pablo Picasso & Jean Cocteau
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