The Guitar Player (Greuze)

The Guitar Player is an oil on canvas painting by French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze, created around 1757. It is a genre painting, characteristic of Greuze's style, depicting a young woman playing a guitar. The artwork exemplifies the Rococo period's interest in sentimental narratives and idealized depictions of everyday life.

The painting is notable for its focus on the emotional expression of the subject. The young woman's face, rendered with delicate detail, conveys a sense of absorption in her music. The muted color palette and soft lighting contribute to the painting's overall atmosphere of intimacy and tranquility.

The Guitar Player is considered a significant example of Greuze's early work, showcasing his mastery of portraiture and his ability to evoke emotion through subtle gestures and facial expressions. It represents a transition from the grand, historical themes of earlier art towards a more intimate and domestic focus, reflecting the changing tastes of the 18th-century French aristocracy. The painting can be found in a number of museum collections.