Man with a Violin

Currently not on view

Man with a Violin

1911-1912

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973)

A tall, pyramidal form at the center of this painting evokes a human presence, with clues suggesting hair, a moustache, and ears. Two F-shaped sound holes are the only signs of a violin, and scroll-like shapes at the bottom left suggest the arm of a chair. The painting dates from the spring or summer of 1912, a period in the evolution of Cubism often described as hermetic because the subjects appear to be sealed off from recognizable reality.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Man with a Violin

Date:

1911-1912

Artist:

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973)

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

39 3/8 × 28 13/16 inches (100 × 73.2 cm) Framed: 46 × 35 1/4 × 4 1/4 inches (116.8 × 89.5 × 10.8 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

Accession Number:

1950-134-168

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

Provenance

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Currently not on view