The paintings called Queen Isabeau and Woman with a Fan belong to Picasso's African period from 1907 to 1909, in which he was influenced by an extensive study of African tribal art and sculpture. Both paintings are from 1909 and, as you can see, the shapes of the subjects are made up of almost geometric shapes, that imitate the blows of the axe and the facets of wood carvings.
This type of painting was the prelude to what is considered to be the pinnacle of Picasso's painting: Cubism.
