The artwork “Guitar and Music Paper” by Juan Gris, created in the period between 1926 and 1927, is an example of a Cubist still life. This oil on canvas measure 65 by 81 centimeters and is currently part of a private collection. As a product of the Cubism art movement, the artwork breaks with traditional perspective to represent objects in a flattened, abstract manner.
In the artwork, one can discern the forms of a guitar and sheets of music paper, fragmented and reassembled according to the principles of Cubism. The composition is characterized by geometric shapes and juxtaposed planes, with a palette that employs a limited range of colors to highlight forms, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality through tonal variation rather than perspective. The guitar is depicted with a noticeable focus on its shape and structure, its strings creating tension and directional lines within the composition. The music paper, with its open pages, sits prominently in the foreground, potentially representing the synthesis of the visual and auditory arts. The use of color, shadow, and form demonstrates Gris’s distinctive approach to Cubism, emphasizing structure and clarity within the still life genre.
