This is my interpretation, and answer to the 'doubters'. In his cardboard 'guitars' Picasso broke new ground and opened our eyes to what is considered sculpture. He makes us think about the nature of reality, and not simply accept what has gone before. Guitar was assembled by Picasso from cardboard and string in 1912. Photos in his studio show it surrounded by collages of guitars. The volume of the guitar is represented without making a solid object or”mass.” The 'volume' and contour of the body is created by a series of jutting perpendicular and parallel elements working forward from a ground plane of cut out shapes. The sound hole, rather than being an empty space cut in the body of the guitar, is a piece of cardboard tube; inverting what should be a hole into a solid cylinder. The 'solid' body of the guitar is thereby converted to empty space. Our reading of the surfaces oscillates between surface and void, powered by our imagination. Furthermore it is linked to his purchase of an African mask. The geometric representation of faces in masks was unfamiliar to western audiences at the time. Assembled from disparate fragments unrelated in form to the natural features they represent, or stand in for: a block protruding forward, painted with two stripes, becomes a mouth; the eyes are two pieces of dowel, similarly protruding - reversing (as does Picasso) the normal surface to space relationship. Like cartoon faces, it is the relative position of these 'signs' which makes the sculpture 'readable' as a head. This revelation to Picasso meant that henceforth he could move elements around so that they could represent different things according to location. A circle could become an eye or a face, could become a breast or a nipple.
This is my interpretation, and answer to the 'doubters'. In his cardboard 'guitars' Picasso broke new ground and opened our eyes to what is considered sculpture. He makes us think about the nature of reality, and not simply accept what has gone before. Guitar was assembled by Picasso from cardboard and string in 1912. Photos in his studio show it surrounded by collages of guitars.
The volume of the guitar is represented without making a solid object or”mass.” The 'volume' and contour of the body is created by a series of jutting perpendicular and parallel elements working forward from a ground plane of cut out shapes. The sound hole, rather than being an empty space cut in the body of the guitar, is a piece of cardboard tube; inverting what should be a hole into a solid cylinder. The 'solid' body of the guitar is thereby converted to empty space. Our reading of the surfaces oscillates between surface and void, powered by our imagination.
Furthermore it is linked to his purchase of an African mask. The geometric representation of faces in masks was unfamiliar to western audiences at the time. Assembled from disparate fragments unrelated in form to the natural features they represent, or stand in for: a block protruding forward, painted with two stripes, becomes a mouth; the eyes are two pieces of dowel, similarly protruding - reversing (as does Picasso) the normal surface to space relationship. Like cartoon faces, it is the relative position of these 'signs' which makes the sculpture 'readable' as a head.
This revelation to Picasso meant that henceforth he could move elements around so that they could represent different things according to location. A circle could become an eye or a face, could become a breast or a nipple.
Great.... Very usefull explanation.... Thanks for sharing knowledge and ideas
What I want to know is, was it acid free cardboard? Because most cardboard will not last.
Alguien sería tan amable de traducir al español? Gracias.
where can i find the templates?
why no comments yet?
Gitarradefoeme
Don’t understand why he went to the trouble to do that... it’s a cardboard guitar, now we know where your donations to MOMA. go guys!