Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973). The Charnel House. 1944-45. Oil and charcoal on canvas, 6' 6 5/8" x 8' 2 1/2" (199.8 x 250.1 cm). Acquired through the Mrs. Sam A. Lewisohn Bequest (by exchange); Mrs. Marya Bernard Fund in memory of her husband, Dr. Bernard Bernard; William Rubin; and anonymous funds

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A charnel house is a building or room in which bones or corpses are placed.

Does knowing the title and its meaning change the way you see the painting? Why or why not?

Picasso began this painting in 1944, during the Nazi occupation of Paris, where he was living. In May of 1945, the war ended but the celebration of victory was darkened by photographs and stories that documented the horrors of Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz in Germany (which had been liberated in January 1945).

Picasso worked on this painting for at least a year before including it in a 1946 exhibition called Art et Resistance (Art and Resistance). The exhibition was sponsored by the French Communist Party, which opposed Fascism and spoke out against French citizens who had collaborated with the Nazis during the war. After the exhibition, Picasso continued to make small changes to the work over the years it remained in his studio before finally selling it in 1954.

1. Does this information further change your understanding of the work?
   
   
2. In your opinion, do you think this painting is finished? What is your reasoning?

Keeping in mind the subject matter of the last three art works by Diego Rivera, Jacob Lawrence, and Picasso, can you think of current events that you feel strongly about and that perhaps affect your personal life? How might you choose to represent your ideas, concerns, and experiences? What would you want to communicate? Would you choose to make a series of works or just one piece? What kinds of materials would you use? Would you use words, sounds, images, movements or other forms of expression?