Harlequin with a Guitar
Artist: Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887–1927)
Original Dimensions: 39 1/2" x 25 5/8"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1917) "Like many European artists before them, Cubists often depicted Harlequin, a stock character in the Italian commedia dell’arte, a form of masked theater dating back to the sixteenth century. Easily recognized in his checkered costume, Harlequin is a trickster with a tendency to act on whim and passion. For this reason, several modern artists adopted the character as an alter ego. Gris was particularly fond of the subject; he portrayed Harlequin in approximately forty works made between 1917 and 1925. In this painting, caricature softens the Cubist fracturing of the figure, while bands of light illuminate Harlequin’s costume." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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