An Analysis of The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso Essay

The piece of art that will be focused on is The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso. It was created in 1904 in Barcelona, Spain. This is an oil painting on canvas, and the size is roughly 122.9 cm by 82.6 cm. It is currently located at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was created during Picassos Blue Period. Picasso also painted over his sketches, and three different figures from an original sketch can be slightly seen in the background of this piece. Also, this piece was created at the beginning of the time of Expressionism, which reflected and heightened Pablo Picassos style.Being from Picassos Blue Period, this painting represents a great deal of sadness. The melancholy tone is due to the use of a range of blues as well as darker colors. Picassos hardships are also demonstrated through this piece it depicts a poor old man hunched over playing his guitar. The town in which Picasso had first lived in on his own as a teenager had a very low standard for living, which happens to be a main cause of his Blue Period. Also, due to Picassos style of covering over old sketches, this piece has many layers of paint and may come off with a choppy feel. This depicts the artists strong emotions as well as his ever changing mind. The covering of old sketches, but having them still slightly visible, shows an uncertainty as to which he wanted as the finished piece, but it also shows the range of thoughts in which went into this piece. Picassos use of color suggests the mood in his painting sadness. Value and form give his paintings depth and makes the character three-dimensional. His use of highlights and shading draws the viewers eye to the face and hands of the guitarist. Picasso tends to have focus on a character in his works, and The Old Guitarist exemplifies this quite well. The old man is the sole...

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