The Old Guitarist

"The Old Guitarist" is a painting created by Pablo Picasso in 1903. The painting was during Picasso's "Blue Period" in which he painted monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and green. During this time most of the subjects of his paintings were prostitutes, drunks or beggers. This period in Picasso's work is said to be influenced by his close friend who committed suicide in 1901. This painting is oil on canvas and seems to contain a pentimento. A pentimento is when an image is painted underneath the image that one sees. If you look close enough at the painting you are able to see the image of a woman who seems to be sitting, and has a worried look on her face. I really like this painting because I think that it depicts Picasso's true feelings about his friends death. It seems to me that he was very depressed after his good friend died, and he expressed it through images such as this one.