Pablo Picasso: The Old Guitarist

In 20th century, an artist named Pablo Picasso changed the course of 'Art' by defining many new art forms such as cubism. During his lifetime Pablo Picasso painted many masterpieces. The one that stands out for me is called "The Old Guitarist." It was painted in late 1903 - early 1904. It depicts an old, blind, haggard man with ragged clothing weekly hunched over his guitar. Now, the question is why do I love a painting that portrays some simple senile old man playing guitar. I love it because of how beautifully it was done. I love the way Picasso used the simplicity of the painting to hid all his complicated emotions.

The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso

The painting gave spark to Picasso's Blue Period in which he painted essentially monochromatic paintings in the shades of blue. Picasso had moved to Paris  in 1901 along with his dear friend Carlos Casagemas. Unfortunately, tragic events stirred in Carlos' life and he committed suicide after a failed love affair. The death of Carlos deeply affected Picasso. It left him depressed and devastated. To add further to his misery, Picasso was very poor too at that time. His poverty made him to identify and relate to the poor and the downtrodden outcasts of the society. These circumstances led to Blue Period in which he used simplistic shades of blue and gray to depict sorrowful figures lost in their tragic contemplation. The use of oil on panel causes a darker theatrical mood as it blends colors together without diminishing brightness. The lifeless old man symbioses misery while the big brown guitar in contrast acts as only hope of survival. The painting also depicts the solitary life of an artist and natural struggles that come with this career choice.

The old woman hidden behind the Guitarist.

Now, jumping to a shocking revelation, this painting didn't only portray an old man with guitar. Picasso did a good job to hide and blend many Easter-eggs and mysteries in it. X-rays examinations by curators revealed three figures peering behind the old guitarist's body. The three figures are an old woman seated in the center of the composition with head bent forward, a young mother with a small child kneeling by her side, and an animal on the right side of the canvas. Experts also determined that at least two different paintings are found beneath The Old Guitarist. Overall, the melancholic shades of blue and oil perfectly blended with the hidden mystic figures behind the Guitarist shows the complexity hidden beneath the simplicity of the painting. All these elements successfully make "The Old Guitarist" one of the perfect artistic masterpieces ever created.

Vincent van Gogh: The Starry Night

I have a passion for Art. And being a creative thinker, writer, and painter, I take immense pleasure in paintings. One of my favorite artists is Vincent van Gogh, the famous suicidal Dutch Post-Impressionist painter. His painting "The Starry Night" is one of my favorite paintings. I love that painting not only because of the intense gloomy dark brushwork but also because of the story the painting tells.

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh spent quite a time in an asylum to cope up with his psychotic delusions. During his stay in the asylum called Saint-Remy-de-Provence, he painted The Starry Night. It depicts the view from the window of van Gogh's asylum room just before the sunrise, with the addition of an idealized village. Cypress tress are the most predominant elements of his paintings. The morning star next to the Cypress tree is Venus. Obviously, van Gogh didn't know that the star was Venus. He was just awed by the brightest morning star during the late dawn. He sought solace in it. It was the researches who determined that Venus was visible and was at its brightest during dawn in Provence in the spring of 1889. The moon is stylized version of the moon in its waning crescent phase.

Ironically, Van Gogh deemed his painting as a 'failure' in his letters. I guess he would have never imagined that his painting would become his legacy and carry his name forward in the years to come. I wonder why he deemed it as 'failure'? Well, artists like him usually have high standards of expectations from themselves so maybe I can feel him a bit. Keeping aside his own view of his painting, enthusiasts and critics love his painting. The reason this painting touches my soul is because when I see this painting, I can see the sublimated image of Van Gogh's deepest emotions during his stay in the asylum. The stripy oil strikes reflect Van Gogh's individuality as an impressionist. I love how the shades of blue and yellow blend so well to depict the gloomy but hoepeful mood of the night in most flawless manner possible. This piece of Vincent van Gogh's finest works is now preserved in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.