The Picasso Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is considered the cornerstone of modern art. When I visited the painting at the MOMA today, I tried to understand why this was the case. In the painting, five women of presumably different ethnicities are standing provocatively.  The woman on the far left of the painting is pulling back a brown curtain suggesting that the women are for show. Nude and posing, the women appear to be inviting the spectator into their brothel.  Their faces are serious and almost stern.  In between their bodies are blue ad gray geometric shapes. A background is not discernable. On the bottom middle of the painting there is fruit. The dominant colors are the blue, brown and peach. The multicultural women in the group have more abstract faces. The woman crouching in the bottom right of the painting has an orange and blue face. Her eyes are not symmetric and her nose is just as large as her face. The two women who are presumably Caucasian look almost identical and are positioned in a similar stance. They are also the focal point of the painting.  The other women seem to be stationed around them. In this painting, Picasso distorts a conventional view of prostitution. His women look more timid and not sexually inclined. Since the background is not discernable, it appears as if the women are suspended in air. They also appear stationary. In combination with the moving of the curtain, Picasso raises many questions about women. Why do they desire to openly display themselves?  What are the motivations behind their efforts? Are prostitutes just for show? All of which I am sure would have to be answered by Picasso himself. I wish I had some more knowledge to analyze this painting, but more and more I am realizing that I have a very limited understanding of art. I cannot say why this piece is the cornerstone about Modern art because I do not understand the technical shift from impressionism to modernism. Soon, I would really like to have a basic art history lesson. I think it would provide a lot of insight for when I look at paintings such as this Picasso.