“Seated Harlequin”, European, Pablo Picasso, 1901
Subject: what is depicted and description In Pablo Picasso’s Seated Harlequin, you see his depiction of the harlequin. Normally, the harlequin wears a colorful diamond patterned costume, a black mask, and carries around either a baton or slapstick but Picasso decided to portray his harlequin differently. Picasso’s harlequin has a white face and is wearing a blue and black checkerboard patterned unitard with white ruffs. The harlequin is sitting down at what appears to be a café holding two fingers to the side of his face which suggests that he is lost in thought. Many people believe that his depiction of the harlequin resembles Pierrot, the melancholy clown who loses his love, Columbine, to…show more content… He’s sitting at a café adrift but seems isolated but not only from himself but from the world. Picasso exposes the sorrow behind the public face of the harlequin. The painting is symbolic in itself. Picasso refers to clowns as another diverse character of his being, and the same can be identified in the given artwork. The harlequin in the painting puts on a façade; one that hides the internal sadness given from the character.
Context: write about the culture or artist's life that relates to your work Between 1900 and 1904, Picasso traveled regularly to Madrid and Paris. While in Madrid, he worked as an art director for a small art and literary magazine called Arte Joven. While returning to Paris, one of his closest friends, Carlos Casagemas, had committed suicide after shooting the woman he loved. Picasso felt a sense of remorse for feeling as if he had abandoned him. This traumatic experience is what some believe to have started Picasso's so-called Blue Period. The gloomy expression on his harlequin might reflect Picasso's feelings towards the suicide of his friend.
Style: describe the identifying appearance of your work using style