some extent Picasso's victims. There is a hint of eroticism, even sadism, to their portrayal... Years later Picasso would describe women with some relish as 'suffering machines'. No wonder there is more romantic agony than social criticism to Blue period imagery". Picasso used monochromatic colour to reinforce the sense of isolation and despair in his paintings. The dominant use of blue tones is particularly significant. Juan-Eduardo Cirlot comments that, "It is a blue which makes us think of night, but it is the symbol rather of maternal protection, of rest and forgetful dreams to soothe the sufferings of humble people, than of dark hostile power. Picasso has always been deeply humanitarian... [and] sensitive to human suffering, and he seems to have been strongly impelled to translate it into paint." Significance and legacy Christie's describes the significance of Picasso's Blue Period paintings. "The paintings of the Blue period comprise some of Picasso's most concise and compelling portrayals of human emotion. […] Above all, Picasso concentrated on the expressive possibilities of the human form, as exemplified in seminal works such as Femme aux bras croisés." Ownership history Gertrude Stein originally bought the painting from Picasso. From 1936 it was in the collection of the family of Chauncey McCormick, who lent it to the Art Institute of Chicago. On 8 November 2000 it sold at auction at Christie's, New York, for $55 million. See also List of most expensive paintings The Blue Room The Old Guitarist La Vie External links Femme aux bras croisés at Christie's References Portraits by Pablo Picasso Portraits of women 1901 paintings 20th-century portraits 1902 paintings