The aesthetic realist Chaim Koppelman interprets it through the lens of Aesthetic Realism which claims that the only thing that satisfies humans is good will. The Minotaur reaching toward the light depicts the wrestling of self between savage brutality and the goodwill he strives toward, illustrating the duality of power and tenderness in man. Another point of interpretation addresses the rapier, the wounded matador’s weapon. Mary Gedo, in her book "Picasso, Art as Autobiography" explains that the rapier’s angle makes it at first appear to be held by the Minotaur, a symbol that might denote the Minotaur’s hostile intentions, which are implied by the injuries to the horse and the matador. There are a number of interpretations surrounding the young girl. Koppelman suggests that the way her feet are firmly planted toward the beast depicts her power to meet him, as she wants him to find the light. Gedo suggests that the Minotaur represents the artist himself and the girl represents the human ideal, holding the shining light of innocence and confident that the artist’s goodness will win out. She also suggests that the Minotaur, who is no longer blind as in previous depictions, represents the artist’s pride in having broken with Olga and reclaimed his own destiny and that the man climbing the ladder might represent aspects of his own timidity.