The Old Guitarist: Pablo PicassoComing from the Chicago Art Institute, The Old Guitarist is one of Picasso's greatest depictions of human misery. Having just experienced the suicide death of a close friend Picasso channeled his sadness to explore the plight of the poor, the sick, and the outcasts. During this time Picasso also experienced poverty and he could be empathetic to his subject. (1) Picasso draws on El Greco's style by elongating the body of the guitarist exemplifying tension and contortion to emphasize the pain and sadness of the old blind guitar player. (2) He also uses blue tones to create a sense of sorrow. The guitarist appears as if he has suffered through many years of poverty and alienation. One can imagine that his only joy in life is his guitar, which he leans on as a crutch. The entire painting makes the viewer empathetic to the suffering, both internal and external, of the old guitar player.
|
(1) http://www.pablopicasso.org/old-guitarist.jsp
(2) http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/28067
(2) http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/28067