Introduction Abstract art, especially the work of Pablo Picasso, is always subject to individual interpretation yet always contains an underlying theme that expresses the “message” that the artist is attempting to convey to the viewer. It is due to this that before meticulously analyzing a particular painting it is important to first understand the inherent themes that that artist has placed into his previous work in order to gain a better perspective on what message he is trying to convey in the painting that is being examined. When initially examining the painting “Embrace” it can be seen that it follows the Neo-expressionist style of artistry which is characterized by the use of the human body, recognizable objects and an almost roughly and somewhat emotionally violent method of expression. This can be seen in the incorporation of vivid colors into the various works and the banal color harmonies often seen in paintings of this particular nature. This style immerged during the early 1970’s to 1980’s and became quite popular with various abstract artists at the time. Since the painting itself was created in 1971 this lends further evidence to the fact that it belongs to the Neo-expressionist style of abstract expressionist art. It must also be noted that Picasso has been known to incorporate the motif of sexuality into his various works, often times portraying themes related to violent sexual aggression, hidden desires and unconscious thoughts (Carbon, 191). Based on the fact that “Embrace” has now been identified as a belonging to the Neo-expressionist style and that Picasso often incorporated themes related to sexuality into his work “Embrace” can now be properly examined taking the various facts presented as a means of creating a sufficiently in depth analysis of the painting. Analyzing the Aspects of Reality Invoked by “Embrace” When examining “Embrace” what must first be taken into consideration is the fact that the Neo-expressionist style often incorporates the human body into the very art work itself (Carbon, 195). From this perspective it can actually be seen that the painting actually embodies the dual nature of humanity namely man and woman. The most obvious and telling sign of this interpretation is located right at the bottom where a penis and a vagina can be clearly seen. Furthermore towards the top portion of the painting two distinct faces can be seen however the sex of either one can’t be determined based on the face alone rather examining the striated lines on the right and left hand side of either face indicates the left face is male while the right is female. This distinction is made possible due to the fact that the striated lines directly beside either face actually represent male and female hairstyles with the longer and swept back hairstyle on the right representing the long hair commonly associated with the female gender while the spiky and swept up hairstyle on the left representing a commonly known male hairstyle. This particular painting stays true to Picasso’s motif of incorporating sexuality into his works as it can be seen by the obvious representation of male and female genetalia in the work itself (McClemont, 74). Aspects of reality invoked by this painting can be see