Guitar lessonBalthus · 1934

The Composition of Guitar Lesson

The painting depicts a provocative encounter between a music teacher, a woman in her early twenties, and a student, a girl thought to be about twelve years old. The teacher has thrown the girl across her lap, pulling her black dress up over her waist. The girl is naked from her navel to her knees, though her lower legs are covered by white socks. The teacher's hand yanks a chunk of the girl's long hair downwards, while her left hand's fingers dig into the upper part of the girl's inner thigh. In a gesture of tension, the girl has grabbed the collar of the teacher's grey dress, pulling it down to uncover the woman's full right breast. The scene is filled with a sense of tension and psychological complexity.

The setting features two chairs, one of which is occupied and the other left empty. A guitar lies on the floor, and a violin is also present in the scene. A piano is glimpsed in the background against a backdrop of striped wallpaper, completing the carefully constructed and symbolic tableau of the room.

Technical Details

The artwork is an oil on canvas painting created in 1934. It is rendered in a surrealistic style. The composition features a muted palette and focuses on the depiction of human anatomy and form.