Picasso's work was often in-keeping with this style of art between 1907-1910. He was also inspired by the Neoclassical style and movement, following principles of simplicity and symmetry. The 'Seated Nude' painting prominently depicts an outline of a woman in this African-influenced style: she appears masked. The woman is made up of 'parts'-shapes a little like a jigsaw fitting together. This is familiar with Pablo Picasso's earliest cubist pieces and, whilst 'Seated Nude' is arguably quite 'mechanical' in appearance, many view this as a fascinating nod to celebration of the nude female form. His muse for painting was often the women in his life, whom he exhalted through his work.
Erotic elements were often clear in his artwork of females: something which continued throughout his career. Critics at the time felt that Pablo was attempting to express reality in a scientific way in 'Seated Nude,' by making the figure almost robotic-looking with it's fragmented form. The bluish hues of the painting also made critics put forward this idea. This type of work is also considered 'Analytical Cubism,' meaning that there is a level of realism to the painting: the figure is shaped like a human, even in it's distortion. It is clear from the painting that it is a human and it is has been suggested by some art historians that the occasional slices of yellow colour in the painting make the figure appear 'feminine.'
Additionally, some have argued that the poise in which the figure is depicted appears feminine. The neoclassical sense of simplicity seems typical of the ways in which Picasso painted women, and 'Seated Nude' captures the essence of this type of his work. 'Seated Nude' usually hangs in London's infamous Tate Modern art gallery.
