The Old Guitarist

According to Boeck , the

Picasso 's "The Old Guitarist " Page 3

color blue was well suited to the subjects that Picasso was painting

Picasso 's subject matter during the "Blue Period " has also come under analysis . Critic Anthony Blunt sees Picasso 's subject matter as reflecting the popular end-of-the-century tastes "In spite of the Catalan cult of toughness and vitality the intellectuals of Barcelona shared many of the 'morbid 'decadent ' tastes of the international fin-de-sieecle movement , which are important ingredients in the Blue Period (10 . According to Blunt , Picasso 's use

of depressing subject matter reflected the tastes of his time . The Cleveland Museum of Art online biography of Picasso suggests a more personal reason behind his sad subjects and use of blue . According to the biography , the 1901 suicide of Picasso 's friend Carles Casagemas plunged Picasso into a deep depression which was reflected by his work (Blue and Rose Periods "The Old Guitarist " is a timeless piece that will always hold value The haunting form of the guitarist , the hopeless shades of blue , and the timeless relevance of the subject matter make the piece an ageless tribute to the poor and downtrodden . The guitarist could be any beggar that I have ever passed on the street and not looked in the eye . The painting alternately shames and humbles the viewer , drawing attention to that which we would often rather ignore . Picasso aims to make us really look at those faceless , homeless people we pass in the street . He aims to shock us into social change and generosity . The piece holds a deep well of pain and hopelessness , suggesting that Picasso had his own experiences with poverty and destitution . My eye is drawn again and again to the beggar 's delicate yet skeletal hands and the deep hollow of...