Pablo Picasso
Old Guitarist
1903
Oil on Panel: 4ft 2/3 x 2ft 8 ½ in
Art Institute of Chicago
Old Guitarist
1903
Oil on Panel: 4ft 2/3 x 2ft 8 ½ in
Art Institute of Chicago
This essay shall discuss Picasso’s Old Guitarist painting in relation to the turn of the century/ symbolist movement, the historical/personal context of the painting followed by a short description of the work and my opinion on the piece.
This painting was painted in 1903 and thus was included in ‘Turn of the Century art’ which ranges from Early Picasso, Fauvism, Expressionism and Matisse. During this time artist’s were striving to be individual and classed as ‘avant-guarde’ and thus there was a lot of different movements within this period.
In terms of Picasso’s Old Guitarist, the author of the text book (Schneider-Adams, 2002) states that The Old Guitarist is part of Picasso’s first individual style and described his paintings including this one in the ‘Blue Period’ as ‘Symbolist’.
“Symbolist painters used symbols from mythology and dream imagery as a visual language of the soul. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Thus, they painted scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner.” (Krstic, 2007)
So it short, they looked for other ways to express the ordinary in order to show the ‘the truths’ or ‘meanings’ of the subject visually. They often did this by vivid/different use of colour, textures, and predetermined associations with religious and spiritual ideas as well as other techniques.
Picasso used these symbolism techniques and has some key features of ‘Turn of the Century’ Artwork in his painting the Old Guitarist.
- As he depicts his state of mind rather than just his physical being via his use of colour, the way he portrays his subject for example he makes use of El Greco's elongated forms and hallucinatory space, but he employs these elements to express a feeling peculiar to his time-solidarity with distressed, famished, oppressed humanity.
- Uses vivid unrealistic colour to express feelings and emotions
- Has links with religious, spiritual mythical ideas as he paints a blind man as his subject which relates back to the literature of the symbolist movement as they were believed to have possessed powers of inner vision e.g. Tierius from Greek Mythology.
- He also chooses not to portray the industrialisation movement but instead shows someone who is possibly negatively affected by it.
There is also a huge reflection of Picasso within the work and his state of mind from 1901 – 1904. The tragic themes and expressive style of Picasso's Blue Period where triggered from his friend’s suicide in 1901 and his near bankruptcy in 1902, when he was moving between Paris and Barcelona. During this time, his subjects changed from cafes in Paris to vague figures on empty backgrounds becausehe identified with those living on the outskirts of society; he painted pictures of the downtrodden, depicting them in all of their misery, using a muted palette of blue - the colour of melancholy.
Simon Shaw-Miller, in his analysis of this painting, wrote that the painting points out;
“the solitary bohemian existence of the artist and the struggle for an artistic life, in contrast to the joys of shared experience of community” (1998). Rather than serving as an instrument to bring people together, Picasso portrayed music as a separating force from others and a burden, which is shown by the change in colour. Therefore he suggests that Picasso is contemplating the life of an artists and Cangailosi (2008) goes as far as to say, “The piece signifies an autobiographical moment in Picasso's early life as a street artist in struggle.”
In terms of description, The Old Guitarist, Picasso worked with a monochromatic palette, flattened forms, and tragic, sorrowful themes. The figure is bland and fits in with the empty background, the only shift in colour is in terms of the guitar, where the deep blue colours surround the browns of the guitar making it the central piece of the artwork. This could either mean its separating him from everyone else or that it is the man’s saving grace.
It is not only the colour that gives this melancholy feeling but also how Picasso chooses to portray the man. His thin, skeleton, ghostly figure, his expressionless face, blind eyes and clothing all hang in despair. They give the impression of no sign of life about the man and that he doesn’t have enough strength to keep his head up. His pose is cramped (and almost forced to fit into the canvas). This seems to suggest he has no ease in his surroundings and to have an easy life he must adapt to something that is unnatural to him. The only thing that is keeping him together is his guitar that he clings to.
This figure has roots in art from Picasso's native country, Spain. The old man's elongated limbs and cramped, angular posture recall the figures of the great 16th-century artist El Greco, which I touched on earlier.
The painting itself is nearly life size, painted on a wooden panel (some suggest it was his wooden table as he could not afford a canvas hence the picture of the women underneath).The Boston Museum suggests,
"Details are eliminated and scale manipulated to heighten the impact of figures whose elongated proportions and attitudes of silent contemplation intensify a sense of spirituality.”
The thing that appeals to me most about this painting is its intrigue, the emotive factor created by the colour scheme and shape and the possible meanings of the life of the artist.
Class Question:
To Picasso, do you think this represented the plight of others or is it a biography of a struggling artist? If so, do you believe art has to have this personal connection to be a ‘masterpiece’?
In terms of Picasso’s Old Guitarist, the author of the text book (Schneider-Adams, 2002) states that The Old Guitarist is part of Picasso’s first individual style and described his paintings including this one in the ‘Blue Period’ as ‘Symbolist’.
“Symbolist painters used symbols from mythology and dream imagery as a visual language of the soul. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Thus, they painted scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner.” (Krstic, 2007)
So it short, they looked for other ways to express the ordinary in order to show the ‘the truths’ or ‘meanings’ of the subject visually. They often did this by vivid/different use of colour, textures, and predetermined associations with religious and spiritual ideas as well as other techniques.
Picasso used these symbolism techniques and has some key features of ‘Turn of the Century’ Artwork in his painting the Old Guitarist.
- As he depicts his state of mind rather than just his physical being via his use of colour, the way he portrays his subject for example he makes use of El Greco's elongated forms and hallucinatory space, but he employs these elements to express a feeling peculiar to his time-solidarity with distressed, famished, oppressed humanity.
- Uses vivid unrealistic colour to express feelings and emotions
- Has links with religious, spiritual mythical ideas as he paints a blind man as his subject which relates back to the literature of the symbolist movement as they were believed to have possessed powers of inner vision e.g. Tierius from Greek Mythology.
- He also chooses not to portray the industrialisation movement but instead shows someone who is possibly negatively affected by it.
There is also a huge reflection of Picasso within the work and his state of mind from 1901 – 1904. The tragic themes and expressive style of Picasso's Blue Period where triggered from his friend’s suicide in 1901 and his near bankruptcy in 1902, when he was moving between Paris and Barcelona. During this time, his subjects changed from cafes in Paris to vague figures on empty backgrounds becausehe identified with those living on the outskirts of society; he painted pictures of the downtrodden, depicting them in all of their misery, using a muted palette of blue - the colour of melancholy.
Simon Shaw-Miller, in his analysis of this painting, wrote that the painting points out;
“the solitary bohemian existence of the artist and the struggle for an artistic life, in contrast to the joys of shared experience of community” (1998). Rather than serving as an instrument to bring people together, Picasso portrayed music as a separating force from others and a burden, which is shown by the change in colour. Therefore he suggests that Picasso is contemplating the life of an artists and Cangailosi (2008) goes as far as to say, “The piece signifies an autobiographical moment in Picasso's early life as a street artist in struggle.”
In terms of description, The Old Guitarist, Picasso worked with a monochromatic palette, flattened forms, and tragic, sorrowful themes. The figure is bland and fits in with the empty background, the only shift in colour is in terms of the guitar, where the deep blue colours surround the browns of the guitar making it the central piece of the artwork. This could either mean its separating him from everyone else or that it is the man’s saving grace.
It is not only the colour that gives this melancholy feeling but also how Picasso chooses to portray the man. His thin, skeleton, ghostly figure, his expressionless face, blind eyes and clothing all hang in despair. They give the impression of no sign of life about the man and that he doesn’t have enough strength to keep his head up. His pose is cramped (and almost forced to fit into the canvas). This seems to suggest he has no ease in his surroundings and to have an easy life he must adapt to something that is unnatural to him. The only thing that is keeping him together is his guitar that he clings to.
This figure has roots in art from Picasso's native country, Spain. The old man's elongated limbs and cramped, angular posture recall the figures of the great 16th-century artist El Greco, which I touched on earlier.
The painting itself is nearly life size, painted on a wooden panel (some suggest it was his wooden table as he could not afford a canvas hence the picture of the women underneath).The Boston Museum suggests,
"Details are eliminated and scale manipulated to heighten the impact of figures whose elongated proportions and attitudes of silent contemplation intensify a sense of spirituality.”
The thing that appeals to me most about this painting is its intrigue, the emotive factor created by the colour scheme and shape and the possible meanings of the life of the artist.
Class Question:
To Picasso, do you think this represented the plight of others or is it a biography of a struggling artist? If so, do you believe art has to have this personal connection to be a ‘masterpiece’?
Anon, “Picasso’s Blue Period”, Boston Museum
Available from
(http://www.boston.com/mfa/picasso/blue.html)
Accessed 11/3/10
Cangailosi, J. (2008) “The Masterpiece from Picasso's Blue Period”, Associated Content
Available from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/580401/pablo_picassos_the_old_guitarist.html?cat=2
References:
Accessed 11/3/10Krstic, L. (2007) “About Symbolism”, Symbolism 19th Century Art
Available from:
http://www.krcky.com/simbolizam/O_simbolizmu/index_en.htm
Accessed 11/3/10
Schneider- Adams, L. (2002) Art Across Time Vol II, 2nd Edition, Boston McGraw College
Shaw Miller, S. (2002) Visible Deeds of Music: Art and Music from Wagner to Cage, 2nd Edition, Yale University Press
