Picasso's Blue Period (1901-1904) was his first original style, limited to only the blue palette and with abject, forlorn and emaciated figures. The Old Guitarist (1903) is one of his most famous works from the Blue Period. The Rose Period (1904-1906) was to be his second style utilizing rose hues. Unlike the sullen, morose element in the Blue Period which exuded sadness, he turned to livelier themes such as the circus and music halls, and painted with warmer colors exhibiting a more optimistic mood.
In 1907, Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon signifying an absolute break from traditional thinking of beauty and harmony in art, which would become a milestone in art. The disintegration of the five female figures into planes and jagged edges became the seminal inspiration of Cubism, a style that was forged by Picasso and the French painter Georges Braque. Their mask like faces reflects Picasso's curiosity in Iberian and African sculptures. The style of primitive art, first established in Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, became a major influence on the art of the early 1900's.
