1932 Jeune fille Е la guitare Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The composition presents a figure seated in what appears to be a stylized chair, engaged with a stringed instrument. The palette is dominated by muted tones – pale blues and yellows – interspersed with accents of red and green. A sense of flattened perspective immediately establishes itself; depth is not rendered realistically but rather suggested through overlapping planes and simplified forms.
The figure’s posture is ambiguous. While the head is tilted upward, suggesting contemplation or perhaps a gaze directed beyond the frame, the body leans forward, as if actively involved in playing the instrument held close to the torso. The face itself is reduced to essential features – a long nose, closed eyes, and stylized hair that flows in sweeping lines. This reduction contributes to an overall sense of detachment and abstraction.
The chair’s back is a striking element, constructed from geometric shapes – rectangles painted red with purple dots. It serves as both a structural support for the figure and a visual counterpoint to the organic curves of the body and instrument. The instrument itself is rendered in a similarly simplified manner; its strings are suggested by parallel lines, and the sound hole is indicated by a series of small yellow dots.
The artist’s choice of color contributes significantly to the paintings mood. The cool blues evoke a sense of melancholy or introspection, while the yellows introduce a touch of warmth and vitality. The red accents provide visual jolts that disrupt the overall tranquility.
Subtextually, one might interpret this work as an exploration of youth, music, and perhaps even longing. The young woman’s posture suggests both engagement and withdrawal; she is present in the act of playing but seems lost in her own thoughts. The abstracted forms and flattened perspective contribute to a sense of dreamlike unreality, suggesting that the scene exists more within the realm of memory or imagination than concrete reality. Theres an underlying tension between the figure’s apparent stillness and the implied movement of music – a silent performance captured on canvas.