1948

Centaur Dancing, Black Background

Spanish, 1881 - 1973

Picasso began to delve into lighter, more joyous aspects of classical antiquity after World War II ended in 1945. He returned to the ancient coastal towns in southern France where he had spent several summers during the 1930s. Far removed from the hectic congestion of Paris, the artist conjured up a world of satyrs, fauns, and centaurs frolicking in Arcadia, the rustic paradise of antiquity and home to the Greek god Pan. In this print, a pipe-playing faun and centaur dance in a pastoral setting.