Guitar Player

1935[-]39

Fred Becker’s 'Guitar Player No. 2' is a spirited caricature born out of the Great Depression, created under the New Deal's Federal Art Project in New York City between 1935 and 1939. The musician sits on a spindly, almost collapsing chair, his body contorted and features wildly exaggerated—huge hands, a jutting jaw, and a manic grin—as he attacks the guitar strings. This piece is a fantastic example of how WPA artists were paid to document American life and culture, capturing the raw, rhythmic energy of music with a humorous, modernist flair that feels almost like a visual jazz solo.

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