Dora had a dog, an Afghan who died. She hated cats, but Picasso forced a black cat on her anyway. There's no question that in this picture it is emblematic of her fiery personality. |
The portraits of Dora Maar are among the most popular and most important works that he did. For the better part of a decade she was his muse, his model, his intellectual companion, his intellectual sparring partner. |
They reflect the times. This is 1941. Europe is sliding very quickly into war, France is about to be occupied by Germany, and it was a time of enormous anxiety, tension, fear. |