The artwork titled “Still life with Guitar” was created by the renowned artist Pablo Picasso in 1942. This oil on canvas piece is a quintessential example of the Cubist movement, an art movement in which Picasso played a pivotal role. It measures 80 by 101 centimeters and belongs to the still life genre. Currently, the artwork resides in a private collection.
The artwork depicts a guitar as the central theme, surrounded by other objects that are portrayed in a fragmented and abstract manner, typical of Cubist works. Picasso’s use of bold colors and sharp geometric shapes breaks the subject down into multiple perspectives, all coexisting on the same plane. The guitar itself is rendered with warm tones, contrasting against cooler hues in the background, bringing a dynamic balance to the composition. The presence of letters, possibly a fragment of a newspaper or printed material, and the use of shading and gradation provide both texture and depth, evoking a sense of palpable space within the inherently flat canvas. Despite being a still life, the artwork carries a rhythmic energy indicative of the musical subject it represents and showcases Picasso’s innovative approach to form, space, and color.
