The artwork titled “Guitar Lesson” is an oil painting on canvas created by the artist Balthus in the year 1934. As a piece belonging to the Surrealism art movement, this symbolic painting measures 161.3 x 138.4 cm and is currently held in a private collection.
The artwork depicts an unsettling scene featuring two female figures in a domestic setting, with stripped wallpaper and a piano in the background. The central figure, an adult woman seated on a chair, appears to be giving a guitar lesson to a young girl. However, the composition is strikingly provocative and surreal, as the woman holds the girl’s hair while the girl’s body is sprawled awkwardly, with one leg draped over the woman’s thigh. The broken guitar lies on the floor, contributing to the symbolic and somewhat disturbing atmosphere. The expressions and posture of the figures evoke a sense of tension and ambiguity, which are characteristic of Balthus’s style and the broader Surrealist genre.
