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Analysis Of The Poem ' Girl Before A Mirror '

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Picasso is a bold painter where he dismisses the idea of the background being a backdrop and assisting the main subject matter and instead incorporates it, making it just as extreme as the main focal point of the painting. ‘Girl Before a Mirror’ 1932 (1.62 m x 1.3 m) painted in Picasso’s cubism period depicts a girl named Marie Therese Walter who was painted numerous times by Picasso during the 1930 's. This painting is open to multiple interpretations. One of these is through symbolism in response to the girl’s face. The face is painted with a side and front profile. One side displays the daytime where she seems more like a woman, pampered with her make up done. The other side represents her at night with the rough charcoal texture; the time where she removes the mask of makeup, and becomes more vulnerable as a young female. This contrasts with another interpretation of the girl being self-conscious of her flaws and insecurities that she tries to hide with makeup. Picasso uses basic lines and shapes to form the body but still successfully portrays the woman both in side and front profile as she looks into a mirror that reflects someone she is not. In reality, she depicts a beautiful pregnant woman with artificial, round breasts and small eyes. The prominent interpretation of this painting is the woman staring at her reflection seeing herself as an old woman. Picasso uses vivid and radiant colours to depict the woman however in her reflection, he uses dark and gloomy

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