Girl Before Mirror by Pablo Picasso - Assignment Example

Lecturer: Girl Before Mirror by Pablo Picasso The Girl Before Mirror is a painting that was done by Pablo Picasso in 1932 using a style of production that Picasso had employed at the time to bring to mind an image of Vanity similar to those that had been used in the earlier times (Lobdell and Burgard 39). Regardless of this, the painter shifts the focus and develops a totally different perception to the image. A close look at the image creates an interpretation of numerous varying symbols in different sections of the painting.

The facial aspect of the girl is depicted with a lateral profile as well as a complete anterior image. One side portrays the day time where is illustrated donning make-up while the other side is characterized by a rough charcoal texture of the night. It can be interpreted that when the girl stares at her image in the reflection, she sees an older woman. This is depicted in the green coloration of the face, the darkened attributes of the face as well as the outlines which demonstrate that her young figure has gone through distortion.

The painting, which is vertically oriented and standing at more than five feet, depicts the image of a girl and her reflection occupying almost the whole working area. Therefore, the girl in the painting is not scale down, but is depicted as being larger than life making the scale of the painting and of the girl a powerful impression when viewed in person. The design is founded on symmetrical balance with the girl being on the left and her image on the right side. The mirror’s left post is close to the vertical axis and thus divides the composition into two parts.

The reflection of the girl in the mirror does not match her actual face, the warm colors on the girl are reflected as cool colors in the mirror and the firm shapes are also depicted as being smooth. Attention is mainly drawn towards the face of the girl in the painting which is a natural focal point. This is emphasized through painting one half yellow and surrounding the head with an oval of white and green that separates it from the rest of the busy pattern in the background while providing adequate visual weight that creates equilibrium in the form of the mirror.

The proportions are also modified in such a manner that makes the facial attributes of the girl occupy the whole space of her head. Her head that is depicted as having yellowish hair and her half-yellow expression is portrayed as the lightest part of the picture as it is the main light source. Attention is drawn to the body that has been divided in a vertical manner, through the use of cool and pale hues that are started by darkened shapes and lines. The left half is dressed in a stripped garment, possibly a bathing suit, while the right side is bare.

The manner in which the stomach is swollen suggests an element of childbearing as well as renewal of life. Her biology is stressed in the image that appears in the mirror as her belly is reflected in a confident manner. Attention is attracted to this part of the painting through a rapid shift in value as since the rest of the mirror image is darkened, the breasts and the belly are lighter. Works cited Lobdell, Frank, and Timothy A. Burgard. Frank Lobdell: The Art of Making and Meaning. San Francisco: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2003. Print.