The Old Guitarist

Picasso lived the majority of his life in terrible poverty, and it is stated that it was during this time that he developed a strong sympathy for the world's poor and disadvantaged. The Old Guitarist was created in 1903, at a time when Picasso was thought to be nearly penniless while residing in Barcelona. This period has been nicknamed his "Blue" phase, in which he painted practically every canvas in a drab monochromatic palette of blue, a shade that corresponded to the type of subject matter that he would explore.

Picasso painted this work shortly after his close friend Casagemas committed himself after a long fight with mental illness and despair. The artist focused on those who are often oppressed and burdened by the issues and troubles that consume humanity in this piece, as well as others during this time period. The painting offers a strong sense of sadness to the viewer because it is done entirely in a deep blue color.

The man in the image is carrying a guitar and appears to be playing a somber tune, his face etched with anguish and grief. According to art critics and historians, Picasso's great use of the color blue accurately enforces the feeling of sorrow that so many people experience in this piece. The guitar stands out against the monochrome blue's subdued practically flat, two-dimensional contours, while the player appears dejected and forlorn. Its brown body is the painting's only color change. The instrument fills the area around the single man, who appears oblivious to his blindness and poverty while he plays, both physically and symbolically. At the time the artwork was created, Symbolist literature featured blind individuals with inner vision powers. Picasso's own country, Spain, is also represented by the blind musician's slender, skeleton-like form. The old man's extended limbs and cramped, angular posture are reminiscent of El Greco's figures from the 16th century.

In 1998, researchers discovered a young mother seated in the center of the composition, reaching out with her left arm to her kneeling child to her right, and a calf or sheep on the mother's left side, using an infrared camera. Although Pablo Picasso eventually rejected his Blue Period works as "nothing but sentiment," these paintings remain immensely popular, with The Old Guitarist being the most well-known.

Year: 1903 – 1904