Existing comment:
Roger de la Fresnaye
The Turpentine Bottle, ca 1913
Despite La Fresnaye's use of simple geometric forms, several objects -- such as the bottle of turpentine, the bundled cloth to the left of the canvas, and the pot of tobacco to the right -- are easily recognizable. The artist uses blocks of color in a grid-like composition that sets off the horizontal forms of the table from the vertical forms of the wall beyond, creating a sense of depth in the painting. While it was traditionally viewed as a minor genre, still-life painting offered modernist artists an ideal medium in which to explore the relationship between the visual perception of the model and the formal qualities of painting. |