Harlequin with a Guitar

Juan Gris

1917 · Oil on panel · Modern and Contemporary Art

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.

Artist

Juan Gris

Date

1917

Medium

Oil on panel

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of The Alex Hillman Family Foundation, 2008