1950s Picasso, Original "The Old Guitarist" Period Lithograph

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A beautiful period offset lithograph, full-color print, of oil painting The Old Guitarist (1903) by Pablo Picasso from a first … Read more A beautiful period offset lithograph, full-color print, of oil painting The Old Guitarist (1903) by Pablo Picasso from a first limited edition art folio, published in the mid of 20th c. Printed on one side. Hand tipped-in on a board of heavy paper. Information regarding the original artwork will be found by lifting the piece. Excellent condition - minor edge wear on the board, never framed.

Overall 11"W x 14.75"H
Image 7.5" x 9.75"H

This painting of a blind wailing guitarist summarizes the stylistic extremes of the Blue period. The composition is characteristic - a single figure placed against a relatively simple background. The expressive distortions, reminiscent of El Greco and certain Romanesque sculptures, have become so exaggerated that they seem mannered. The painfully thin cadaver of the aged beggar is cramped and twisted into a sitting position. Like the window, whose glimpse of sky silhouettes the bent head, the straight lines of the picture frame emphasize the angular and contorted pose of the cross-legged musician.

The guitar, whose melody is the music of pain, was to become a frequent image in the language of Picasso's Cubist painting. How different its appearance here where the instrument (albeit seven-stringed) is more nationalistically described than the player himself. See less