Menu
Preview AR preview Buy Hand Made Painting Switch to Digital Image Send
Details Guide Add to favorites Download Similars X-Ray Diaporama Q&A Stats

Guitar

Explore Pablo Picasso’s "Guitar" (1920) – a seminal Synthetic Cubist masterpiece! Geometric forms, earthy tones & a dynamic composition exemplify modern art's evolution.

Co-founder of Cubism and creator of Guernica. Discover the revolutionary works of Pablo Picasso today.

The artwork displayed on this page is protected by copyright law, which means we cannot legally create or sell an identical reproduction. This protection is enforced under international agreements such as the Berne Convention and by national laws, including those outlined by the U.S. Copyright Law - Title 17.

This method fully complies with copyright regulations because it does not involve copying or duplicating the protected artwork. Instead, it is a creative reinterpretation - a new painting that is influenced by the original but not identical to it.

Giclée / Art Print

Museum-quality giclée or canvas print with fast production and flexible finish options. ( Buy Hand Made Painting Switch to Digital Image)

Corner sample of the P118B picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
P118B $10
Corner sample of the P118H picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
P118H $10
Corner sample of the P118W picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
P118W $10
Corner sample of the P438Z picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5.5 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P438Z $10
Corner sample of the P508JH picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 7 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P508JH $12
Corner sample of the P508YH picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 7 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P508YH $12
Corner sample of the P805H picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P805H $10
Corner sample of the P805Z picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P805Z $10
Corner sample of the P919BZ picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 7 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P919BZ $10
Corner sample of the P919G picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 7 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P919G $10
Corner sample of the P919XJ picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 7 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
P919XJ $10
Corner sample of the P959ZH picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
P959ZH $10
Corner sample of the P968JZ picture frame: moulded polystyrene, 6 cm wide and 4 cm thick
P968JZ $12
Corner sample of the W106C picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W106C $8
Corner sample of the W218G picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W218G $10
Corner sample of the W218JH picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W218JH $8
Corner sample of the W218Y picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W218Y $10
Corner sample of the W307PJ picture frame: solid wood, 6 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W307PJ $10
Corner sample of the W316G picture frame: solid wood, 6 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W316G $10
Corner sample of the W316PJ picture frame: solid wood, 6 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W316PJ $8
Corner sample of the W316Y picture frame: solid wood, 6 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W316Y $10
Corner sample of the W398PJ picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W398PJ $8
Corner sample of the W4111J picture frame: solid wood, 6.5 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
W4111J $10
Corner sample of the W500HY picture frame: solid wood, 7 cm wide and 5 cm thick
W500HY $15
Corner sample of the W500JH picture frame: solid wood, 7 cm wide and 5 cm thick
W500JH $15
Corner sample of the W692G picture frame: solid wood, 8 cm wide and 4 cm thick
W692G $12
Corner sample of the W849H picture frame: solid wood, 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
W849H $8
Corner sample of the W940BG picture frame: solid wood, 7.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm thick
W940BG $15
Corner sample of the W953PJ picture frame: solid wood, 6 cm wide and 3.5 cm thick
W953PJ $8

Standard
custom
CM
INCH

Pick from our preset sizes that match the artwork's original proportions.

width
height

Type the width and the height you need, to fit your frame or your wall. A print can only be cut, never made bigger than the picture, so a size with a different shape loses a part of the image. We send you a digital mockup to approve before we print anything. The picture shown on this page does not show the real cut — only the mockup does.

Worldwide Delivery () in 2 weeks instead of standard 4/5 weeks. (28 October)

Free Worldwide Express Shipping
High-Quality Linen Canvas
Full Shipping Insurance
Customs Tax Refund Guarantee
True Color Matching Guarantee
100-Day Return Policy (Defects Only)
100% Money-Back Guarantee
Bulk Discount Offer

Total Price

$ 63

Guitar

Giclée / Art Print

Reproduction Size

-

Total Price

$ 63

Quick Facts

  • style: Cubism
  • movement: Synthetic Cubism, Crystal Cubism
  • medium: Oil on canvas
  • year: 1920
  • influences: Paul Cézanne

Art Quiz

There is only one correct answer for each question.

Question 1:
To which art movement does Pablo Picasso's 'Guitar' (1920) most prominently belong?
Question 2:
What is a defining characteristic of 'Crystal Cubism', as exemplified in Picasso's 'Guitar'?
Question 3:
Besides Picasso, which artist is specifically mentioned as a pioneer of Cubism in the provided text?
Question 4:
The image description notes that the composition of 'Guitar' is best described as:
Question 5:
According to the provided information, which artist's late works influenced Picasso's representation of three-dimensional form in 'Guitar'?

Deconstructing Reality: Picasso’s 1920 ‘Guitar’

Pablo Picasso's “Guitar,” painted in 1920, is more than just a depiction of a musical instrument; it’s a powerful statement on the evolving language of modern art. Measuring 65 x 92 cm, this oil on canvas exemplifies Synthetic Cubism at its most refined – a period where Picasso moved beyond analyzing forms to *reconstructing* them in a new visual reality. The painting doesn't aim to replicate what the eye sees, but rather to present multiple viewpoints of the guitar simultaneously, fracturing and reassembling it into geometric planes. This approach wasn’t about distortion for its own sake; it was an attempt to capture the totality of an object’s form and essence on a two-dimensional surface. The warm palette of browns and yellows lends a sense of intimacy and groundedness despite the radical deconstruction, while subtle curves soften the angularity, preventing the composition from feeling overly harsh.

The Rise of Crystal Cubism & Picasso's Role

“Guitar” is deeply rooted in the artistic movement known as Crystal Cubism – a term coined to describe the clarity and structural precision that characterized Synthetic Cubism between 1915 and 1920. This phase, following the more fragmented Analytical Cubism, saw artists like Picasso, Juan Gris, and Jean Metzinger prioritizing simplified forms and flattened space. Picasso, alongside Georges Braque, pioneered Cubism as a whole, challenging centuries of artistic tradition that valued realistic representation. Crystal Cubism represented a distillation of these earlier experiments, focusing on order, purity, and the interplay of light and shadow across geometric surfaces. The influence of Paul Cézanne’s late works – particularly his exploration of form and perspective – is subtly present in Picasso's approach to volume and spatial relationships within “Guitar.”

Symbolism & Emotional Resonance

While seemingly abstract, "Guitar" isn't devoid of symbolic meaning. The guitar itself has long been associated with passion, romance, and artistic expression. Its deconstruction could be interpreted as a reflection of the changing world following World War I – a sense of fragmentation and rebuilding. The inclusion of barely discernible figures in the background—one on each side flanking a chair—adds a human element to the composition, suggesting a space for contemplation or performance. The chair, often symbolizing absence or waiting, further enriches the narrative possibilities. The painting evokes a feeling of intellectual curiosity and invites viewers to actively participate in deciphering its visual language. It’s not simply *about* a guitar; it's about how we perceive reality and the power of art to reshape our understanding of it.

Questions & Answers

Who created "Guitar" and what style is it in?

Pablo Picasso created "Guitar" within the Cubism movement.

Does "Guitar" show strong light-dark contrasts?

The contrast level of "Guitar" by Pablo Picasso is statement.

Is "Guitar" one of Pablo Picasso's most popular works?

"Guitar" is classified as iconic.


Artist Biography

The boy from Málaga

A child's first words in Málaga were “piz, piz,” a small attempt at saying pencil. This early pull toward the lead and paper was nurtured by his father, José Ruiz y Blasco, who taught him the basics of figure drawing and oil painting. The boy learned to copy the masters and draw from plaster casts under a disciplined eye. As he grew, the family moved through A Coruña and Barcelona. These years were marked by the quiet weight of loss, particularly the death of his sister, Conchita, from diphtheria when she was only seven. Such shadows would later find their way into the heavy, blue-green tones of his early work.

By thirteen, he was already taking entrance exams for advanced classes in Barcelona, finishing in a week what took others a month. His hands moved with a precision that even his father noticed, once seeing him paint over an unfinished sketch of a pigeon with such accuracy that the instructor realized the student had surpassed him. He eventually moved to Paris, a city where he would spend much of his adult life, constantly shifting his focus from one way of seeing to another.

Shifting palettes and fractured forms

The early twentieth century saw his work move through distinct phases of color and mood. There was the Blue Period, where the canvases were filled with beggars, the blind, and the lonely, rendered in somber shades of blue. This gave way to the Rose Period, a time when pinks, oranges, and reds appeared, often featuring the figures of circus performers like harlequins and acrobats. These years showed a man reacting to his own life and the world around him through the temperature of his palette.

In 1907, the way he handled space changed fundamentally with Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Influenced by African masks and Iberian sculpture, he began to break objects into geometric shapes. Alongside Georges Braque, he developed Cubism. This involved two main stages:

  • Analytic Cubism: A method of fragmenting objects into muted, geometric pieces as if dissecting the form itself.
  • Synthetic Cubism: An approach that brought in collage elements like newspaper clippings and fabric scraps to add texture and new layers.

A life of constant change

His work never settled into a single way of being. He explored Neoclassicism with large, monumental figures and later engaged with the imagery of Surrealism, using distorted perspectives to tap into the subconscious. The violence of the Spanish Civil War left its mark on his canvas in 1937 through Guernica. This large oil painting used a stark palette of black, white, and grey to show the suffering of a bombed town, featuring a gored horse, a bull, and screaming women. It remains a heavy, monochromatic response to the chaos of war.

In his later years, he continued to experiment with ceramics, sculpture, and printmaking. He even created large-scale public works, such as the 1967 steel sculpture in Chicago, which was inspired by the head of his Afghan Hound, Kabul. He died in Mougins, France, leaving behind a massive collection of work that spans over seventy-six years of experimentation.

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso

1881 - 1973 , Spain

Quick Facts

  • Full Name: Pablo Diego José Ruiz Picasso
  • Nationality: Spanish
  • Date Of Birth: 1881
  • Date Of Death: 1973
  • Place Of Birth: Malaga, Spain
  • Notable Artworks:
    • Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
    • Guernica
    • The Old Guitarist
    • La Vie
    • Family of Saltimbanques
  • Artistic Movement Or Style: Cubism, Surrealism
  • Artists Who Influenced This Artist:
    • Velázquez
    • Goya
    • Matisse
  • Artists Or Movements Influenced By This Artist:
    • Cubism
    • Modern art
Explore artworks organized by themes, styles, and characteristics.