1920 Compotier et guitare sur une table Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1919-1930

The composition presents a fragmented arrangement of geometric forms against a muted, predominantly blue-grey background. The artist has eschewed traditional perspective and spatial depth, instead opting for a flattened plane where objects appear simultaneously from multiple viewpoints. A dominant triangular shape, rendered in ochre and brown tones with subtle linear markings suggesting stringing or construction, occupies the right side of the canvas. This form is intersected by angular planes of blue, white, and black, creating a sense of dynamic tension and visual disruption.
Several facets appear to be tilted or rotated relative to one another, contributing to the overall feeling of instability and abstraction. A dark, almost black shape on the left echoes the triangular form’s sharp angles, while lighter areas introduce a degree of contrast that prevents the composition from becoming entirely monochromatic. The use of color is restrained; earth tones are punctuated by cooler blues and whites, suggesting an interplay between warmth and coolness, solidity and lightness.
The arrangement suggests recognizable objects – a bowl or fruit dish alongside what appears to be a stringed instrument – though these are deconstructed into their constituent shapes and reassembled in a non-representational manner. The subtexts embedded within this work seem to explore the nature of perception itself. By dismantling familiar forms, the artist challenges the viewer’s expectations and invites them to engage with the painting not as a depiction of reality, but as an exploration of its underlying structure.
The deliberate lack of depth and the fractured perspective suggest a focus on the two-dimensionality of the canvas itself. The work seems less concerned with portraying objects than with examining how those objects can be broken down and reconfigured to create new visual relationships. There’s a sense of intellectual rigor at play, as if the artist is systematically analyzing and reconstructing the world through geometric abstraction.