1911-1912

Man with a Violin

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.