Don Quixote by Pablo Picasso (Interpretation and Analysis)

Don Quixote
Source: pablopicasso.org

The other day I wrote about a painting by Pablo Picasso that I don’t particularly care for, so today I wanted to show you a piece of art by Picasso that I actually do like: Don Quixote.

This simple drawing is one of the most iconic images in Picasso’s oeuvre. In fact, I’m sure everyone reading this blog post has seen it before; it’s everywhere! Over the years, this drawing has become one of the quintessential symbols of Spain. It depicts Don Quixote de la Mancha— the eponymous character of Miguel de Cervantes’ famous novel—his horse and squire Sancho Panza. Windmills churn in the background, a reference to Don Quixote’s famous joust with the windmills, which he believed to be giants. Picasso created it for a French magazine, which featured the drawing on their cover in honor of the anniversary of the novel.

Picasso was an incredibly prolific artist; in fact, he is estimated to have produced about 50,000 pieces of art during his lifetime. So, why is this image—a relatively simple black and white drawing—so popular?

First of all, its simplicity is in itself an attraction. Picasso takes the ideas of the novel and strips them down to their essentials. The result is a bold image that speaks directly to the viewer; if you’ve seen a print of this drawing, you know that it jumps out at you and catches your attention. It also adds a degree of universality to the subjects of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. People who would never want a traditional image of Don Quixote hanging in their home find it easy to embrace Picasso’s abstract image of the literary hero. In removing some degree of detail, the drawing becomes more appealing.

However, the core attraction of the drawing is what it stands for. Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes are cornerstones of Spanish culture in much the same way that Shakespeare is a cultural icon in England. Although Picasso spent most of his life in France, he was a fundamentally Spanish artist. Drawing Don Quixote while Francisco Franco’s reign of oppression continued in Spain was a statement of strength and defiance and a reaffirmation of the artist’s identity.

The true triumph of Picasso’s Don Quixote is that it amplifies this aspect of Spanish identity beyond national borders. The drawing makes the character of Don Quixote relevant in transcendent way, allowing people all around the world to connect with this spark of Spanish culture (which is why it doesn’t look out of place at all hanging on the wall of my bedroom in Pennsylvania).

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.