French artist Georges Braque created the painting “Woman with Guitar” in 1913 during the early stages of Synthetic Cubism. The artwork, measuring 130 x 73 cm, can be found in the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, France.
Throughout his career, Braque had a deep interest in musical instruments and this passion is reflected in “Woman with Guitar”. In this particular painting, he challenged traditional illusionistic space by experimenting with different types of geometric shapes and a limited color palette to portray space. Braque’s style was heavily influenced by Pablo Picasso’s artistic techniques which led both artists to depict musicians playing guitars.
The female figure in “Woman with Guitar” is presented from various angles and pieced together through geometric shapes. The subject stands out against the background because of Braque’s use of light colors such as shades of beige and grayish-blue alongside white hues. His return to the depiction of human figures was inspired by Camille Corot’s teaching on the stillness seen in objects that include a musical instrument.
