Picasso and Lewis: Comparing Musical Abstract Art
This paper compares two abstract artworks centered on musical themes: Pablo Picasso's 1912 paper collage "Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass" and Norman Lewis's 1943 oil painting "Harlem Jazz Jamboree." The essay analyzes each work individually—examining materials, color palette, compositional choices, and the abstracted representation of musical instruments—before drawing connections between the two pieces. Despite being created three decades apart and using different media, both works share a commitment to conveying the emotional essence of music through non-realistic, abstract imagery rather than literal depiction.
- Introduction to the Comparison: Overview framing the two artworks being compared
- Picasso's Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass: Formal analysis of Picasso's 1912 Cubist collage
- Lewis's Harlem Jazz Jamboree: Analysis of Lewis's abstract jazz scene painting
- Similarities Between the Two Works: Thematic and stylistic connections across both works
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper follows a clear and logical structure: individual analysis of each artwork followed by a synthesis comparison, which allows each piece to stand on its own before relationships are drawn.
- Specific formal details—materials, color palettes, compositional elements—are cited to support interpretive claims, grounding abstract analysis in observable evidence.
- The comparison goes beyond surface-level similarities by connecting artistic choices to the emotional and cultural character of music itself, particularly in the discussion of jazz and improvisation.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates the block method of comparative analysis: each subject is treated fully in its own section before the final paragraph brings them together. This approach is effective for shorter comparisons because it allows each artwork to be understood independently before the writer synthesizes shared themes.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief framing of the comparison, then devotes one substantial paragraph to each artwork (Picasso first, then Lewis), providing formal and interpretive analysis. A concluding paragraph draws thematic and stylistic connections between the two works, noting both differences in medium and period and similarities in abstract musical representation. A Works Cited section follows in MLA format.
Introduction to the Comparison
The following analysis compares two abstract artworks centered on musical themes: Pablo Picasso's 1912 paper collage Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass and Norman Lewis's 1943 oil painting Harlem Jazz Jamboree. Though separated by three decades and executed in different media, both works represent music and musical instruments through abstraction rather than realistic depiction.
Picasso's Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass
Pablo Picasso's Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass is a paper collage with ink, created in 1912 during his Cubist period. It is, however, far less formal than many of his Cubist paintings. Rather than employing pure geometric patterns, the work retains some definition of shape while also incorporating curves and circles. This informality is echoed in the background, which features a pattern of diamond-shaped tiles with flowers at the center—an effect more reminiscent of domestic wallpaper than cutting-edge modern art.
The guitar is represented only through fragmented figures, yet remains the emphasis of the piece. Two curved segments with a heavy-grain wood pattern indicate the left side of the guitar, and a blue rectangular shape at the top of this segment functions as the instrument's fret bar. A central white circle and a black semicircle at the bottom complete the guitar's representation. Interestingly, a blank space showing the background wallpaper imagery comprises nearly half of the guitar's area, yet the stringed instrument remains highly prevalent in the composition.
In front of the guitar, though seemingly less important, is a square piece of paper that is clearly sheet music. In the bottom left-hand corner of the work is a scrap of yellow paper with French text, appearing to be from a newspaper. Its exact purpose within the context of the artwork is difficult to determine. The final element is a white rectangle bearing an ink drawing. What this drawing is intended to depict is discernible only because of the title; without the word "glass," the image would be highly abstract. Nevertheless, its curves and lines give it a vaguely musical impression that contributes to the overall informality of the piece.
Lewis's Harlem Jazz Jamboree
Norman Lewis's oil painting on canvas, Harlem Jazz Jamboree (1943), is an abstract work that uses color and line to suggest a raucous musical scene. Eleven vaguely human characters populate the painting. Some are clearly defined and painted in more realistic tones and shades, while others are closer to caricatures—rendered with areas of color to suggest skin and black or red lines to create facial features.
Three instruments can be identified: a piano, indicated clearly by delineated black and white keys; a yellow trumpet rendered in more geometric form; and a square black-and-colored grid that may represent some type of percussive instrument. The color palette is limited to red, white, black, yellow, brown, and blue.
The lack of unified perspective and the varied stylistic treatment of the figures seem to echo the nature of jazz as a musical form. Jazz is not confined to notes on a page; musicians instinctively play their parts and form a cohesive sound even without beginning from the same vision. This dynamic is reflected in the painting: with a few lines, the artist indicates human beings from all walks of life coming together to create something more valuable as a whole than they could produce as individuals.
Works Cited
Lewis, Norman. "Harlem Jazz Jamboree." 1943.
Picasso, Pablo. "Guitar, Sheet Music, Glass." 18 Nov. 1912.
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