The artwork “Guitar and Fruit Dish” is a notable painting by George Braque, created in 1909, in France. As a revered example of the Analytical Cubism movement, it utilizes oil on canvas as its medium and measures 73 by 60 centimeters. The piece belongs to the still life genre and is currently housed in the Kunstmuseum Bern located in Bern, Switzerland. This seminal work encapsulates the period’s experimentation with form, perspective, and the deconstruction of three-dimensional objects into flattened, abstract planes.
In examining the artwork, one observes the fragmentation of objects and the interplay of subdued colors that veer away from the expected representations found in traditional still life paintings. The elements appear almost carved into the canvas, with sharp lines and angular forms, yet they retain enough likeness to discern the objects depicted: a guitar and fruit dish. Braque’s masterful use of foreshortening and shifting perspectives conveys a sense of depth despite the flattened forms. Hues of brown, beige, gray, and creams dominate, with the warmth and coolness balancing one another and leading the viewer’s eye across the composition. The guitar’s curves and the rounded shapes of the fruit contrast the surrounding geometrical lines, while light and shadow intermingle, adding to a sense of presence within a reimagined, cubist space.