In this painting, there is an old, poor man playing his guitar outside. Picasso uses shades of blue color, bent lines, and complex shapes to portray the man's depression.

Describe

The Old Guitarist

By: Pablo Picasso, 1903

Analyze

~ Painted only in monochromatic shades of blue
~ Emphasis on the guitar (greenish brown color)
~ Sharp and curved lines show fragileness of his figure
~ Body bent in many different angles
~ Asymmetrical

Interpret

I think Picasso was portraying the despair and depression of an old, poor man that was either someone he knew or saw once in his life. He conveys this unhappiness by using different shades of blue and painting the man's body in a contorted shape.

Depression