Masked Figures and Bird Woman

Liubov Popova, the daughter of a wealthy Russian merchant, spent several months in Paris during the winter of 1912–13. In this grand composition, the artist combines the influences of Cubism and Futurism in a complex and dynamic fragmentation of the human figure. She demonstrates great confidence by tackling a major, large composition based on an abstract pattern of intersecting curved and rectilinear planes. Further drama arises from the interplay of black-and-white tones and the texturally rich surface that includes sand and conveys the illusion of wood.