1920 Nature morte avec guitare et partition Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1919-1930

The composition presents a still life rendered in a fractured and abstracted style. A predominantly brown background establishes a sense of enclosure, punctuated by a dark, amorphous shape in the upper left corner that suggests depth or perhaps a shadowed space beyond the immediate subject matter. The artist has employed a limited palette – browns, grays, pinks, blues, and whites – to construct a series of overlapping geometric forms.
Central to the arrangement is a pinkish-purple structure which appears to represent a guitar. Its form is deconstructed into angular planes, with what might be interpreted as the sound hole suggested by a dark oval. Adjacent to this, a rectangular shape in muted blue and gray seems to function as a musical score or sheet music, its surface covered in small, densely packed dots that mimic notation.
Below the guitar-like form lies an area of textured green and brown, possibly representing a table or another supporting surface. The artist has used short, parallel lines to create this textural effect, adding visual interest and a sense of materiality. A large, rectangular plane of pale blue dominates the right side of the composition, its clean edges contrasting with the fragmented nature of the other elements.
The overall impression is one of disjunction and reassembly. The objects are not presented in a conventional manner; instead, they are broken down into their constituent parts and rearranged on the picture plane. This fragmentation suggests an exploration of perception and representation, questioning the viewers ability to recognize familiar forms. The arrangement feels deliberate, almost mechanical, hinting at a systematic approach to visual analysis.
Subtly, there’s a sense of melancholy or quiet contemplation evoked by the muted colors and the fragmented nature of the objects. The music score, in particular, might allude to themes of memory, loss, or the ephemeral quality of artistic creation. The composition doesnt offer an easy narrative; rather, it invites prolonged observation and encourages reflection on the process of seeing itself.