Matthew iovane | Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist'

Created in 1903, after the death of Casagemas, Pablo Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist' is one of the best representations of the 'Blue' period for Picasso. Pablo Picasso was one the founding fathers of cubism, and definitely wore his heart on his sleeve. After the suicide and subsequent death of his closest friend, Casagemas, in a Parisian café where they had spent so much time, Pablo Picasso shifted his palette of rainbow-colors to a more depressed hue. 'The Old Guitarist' was painted in a series of solemn colorful efforts, all circled around musical instruments and the color, blue. Named appropriately as the blue period, this was the point in Pablo Picasso's life, where he demonstrated how much pain and beauty is wrapped up in artistic work. The tortured artist came out during this period and was in no way shape or form ashamed of that emotion.



"Pain and death are integral parts of life", Pablo Picasso would be heard saying, so many times, especially after the death of Casagemas. 'The Old Guitarist' was created in the City of Madrid Spain, and was an initial effort by Picasso to demonstrate the power and functionality of 'Cubism' and the color 'blue'. It is important to realize that the color blue symbolizes sadness, depression, impatience, and lost love, all were characteristics and feelings of both Casagemas, and Picasso. What's interesting about 'The Old Guitarist' is that in the fraternization of the guitar and the man playing the guitar, a faint outline of a woman can be seen.

This is said to have been the initial subject of the painting and Picasso suddenly changed his mind and painted 'The Old Guitarist' instead. Is it two independent works in one? Maybe it is just a depiction of a fragmented woman, in a man's life and music is a staple as well? These are things and subjects that Cubism brings out in the individual onlooker and will continue to draw discussions after discussions on the commonality and the dichotomy of Picasso's works during the blue period.

Many individuals have drawn inspiration from 'The Old Guitarist' such as Paul McCartney, and Wallace Stevens. The eventual success of 'The Old Guitarist' demonstrated the ardent fever that millions of aspiring artists and just general fans of great art, possess for Pablo Picasso and his works. To say that Pablo Picasso's works have almost reached 'cult-status' would be an understatement, especially in the 'Avante Guard' metropolitan locations, such as Paris and London. To see 'The Old Guitarist' as anything but an introspective to a life that was well-lived would be a shame and one that few fear to tread.

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