1913 Femme Е la guitare Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1908-1918

The composition presents a fragmented figure seemingly engaged with a stringed instrument. The artist has deconstructed form into geometric planes and overlapping shapes, eschewing traditional perspective and naturalistic representation. A female presence is suggested through the contours of what appears to be a seated posture; however, her features are not clearly defined, instead dissolving into an array of angular forms.
The guitar itself is similarly fractured, its shape reduced to a series of blue-hued planes that intersect with the figure’s body. The instruments strings appear as thin, linear elements extending upwards, further contributing to the sense of spatial ambiguity. A muted color palette dominates – greens, browns, and ochres are interspersed with areas of white and touches of red. These colors do not function descriptively but rather contribute to the overall fractured aesthetic.
A textual element is visible in the lower portion of the painting; Cyrillic script appears to be integrated into the composition, partially obscuring a section of the figure’s form. This inclusion introduces an element of cultural specificity and potentially alludes to the artists engagement with contemporary social or political contexts. The text itself seems deliberately obscured, suggesting a deliberate distancing from direct communication or narrative clarity.
The work resists easy interpretation; it is not intended as a straightforward depiction of a woman playing guitar. Instead, it explores the possibilities of representing form and space through abstraction. The fragmentation suggests a breakdown of traditional notions of beauty and representation, reflecting a broader shift in artistic sensibilities towards conceptual exploration and formal experimentation. Theres an underlying sense of melancholy or introspection conveyed by the muted tones and the dissolution of recognizable forms; the figure seems lost within her own fragmented reality.