Three Musicians (Picasso) 1921

Description (Wikipedia):

Three Musicians, also known as Musicians with Masks or Musicians in Masks, is a large oil painting created by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. He painted two versions of Three Musicians. Both versions were completed in the summer of 1921 in Fontainebleau near Paris, France, in the garage of a villa that Picasso was using as his studio.

They exemplify the Synthetic Cubist style; the flat planes of color and “intricate puzzle-like composition” giving the appearance of cutout paper with which the style originated. These paintings each colorfully represent three figures wearing masks. The two figures in the center and left are wearing the costumes of Pierrot and Harlequin from the popular Italian theater Commedia dell’arte, and the figure on the right is dressed as a monk. In one version, there also is a dog underneath the table.

Although both versions share the same subject, the darker version today is more famous than the other.

Museum: MoMA, New York (United States)

Technique: Oil (200.7 x 222.9 cm.)

Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers composed his “Pablo Picasso” knowing how confident the “little” artist from Malaga was when it came to seducing . If Picasso could do it, Richman, the weirdo of the class, the infatuated and insecure one, the hopeless romantic, the genius of the reticence could also do it… So as a tribute he composed a song for him… And hence the excellent Picasso rhyme /Asshole.

Richman did with his influences ( Velvet for example…) what Picasso did with his ( Cezanne, without going any further)… Give them another spin, make them advance, desecrate them, bring them to his time and at the same time make them timeless, immortal.

Richman has a strange musical style, there is no doubt (years later punks would consider him a pioneer). We are not going to talk about Picasso’s style, there are even people today who see it as novel… But the Malaga dwarf also rarifies his canvas. These three musicians, painted as aliens from outer space, are reminiscent of the genius with which a three-year-old child would do it.

Picasso makes an intricate composition, similar to a puzzle. That is, he paints in a style of synthetic cubism, like paper cutouts glued together to create these strange and fascinating characters.

Masked Pierrot playing the clarinet, the bearded singing monk holding sheet music and Harlequin, hitting the guitar. They are three musicians who could very well be performing a song not very far from that of the Modern Lovers: something futuristic and groundbreaking, ridiculous and at the same time solemn, even majestic… certainly not suitable for all ears. The only flaw is that the Lovers were four…

But… wait a moment! I just saw a fourth character. He is the invisible dog… Do you see him…? Search among the various subtle browns, and you will find the fourth musician in the form of a dog.

From here we recommend the entire discography of Modern Lovers and Jonathan Richman, and of course all the artistic production of that giant of modern art that was Pablo Picasso.

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