The Old Guitarist essays

The Old Guitarist essays To most people, a piece of artwork is just paint, colors, lines, and pictures that fill a blank canvas. Sometimes the whole story of the painting is evident, easily understandable through the dramatic poses of its subjects or the flamboyant backgrounds. But some paintings are not as loud as other paintings. It doesnt scream out and grabs peoples attention. The painting The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso is an example of a silent painting with a theme that can be interpreted into different ways, depending on the views of the person. When you first see the painting of The Old Guitarist, the dramatic blues will overcome your senses with a feeling of despair. People mostly associate blue with sadness, hence the phrase Why you feel so blue? The elongated fingers and the pitiful expression on the mans face will spark a sense of sadness. He plucks the strings of his guitars, as if playing a last song of hope. You immediately think of him as a poor beggar, with the tattered clothes on his back. Picasso extends our sympathy for this guy by not putting shoes on his feet. We wonder if hes cold in the streets. Then he is slouched down, as if he is tired from a hard day of looking for food or work. But he still has his guitar, the only thing not painted in a shade of blue. It stands out as if it is a symbol of who he is. If a person saw this painting, he can associate that the guitarist is just another starving performer, looking to make ends meet by playing in the streets. Havent we all seen street performers play for money? The guitarist in this picture could be playing an entertaining song for some people passing by. He may have lowered his head to entice the audience to give him more money, a trick of the trade by appealing to their emotions. But why does he seem tired? Im sure if he were a street performer, hed love what he was doing. But there can be a ...