Musician's table 1914

Juan Gris made this painting, Musician's table, and it's like a collection of puzzle pieces, a set of things a musician might have around them while they're playing or taking a break. The blue is so particular to this piece, it almost feels like a colour he invented just for this, and the whole painting feels like a process of putting things together, a bunch of different elements. I can see he's playing with texture, from the smooth glass of the bottle to the newspaper texture, it's all kind of flat but he makes it feel like you could touch it. I especially like the wood grain he's created, it looks like he's used a really dry brush. It really brings a sense of depth and history to the surface. Think of someone like Picasso. He and Gris were kind of in conversation with each other and themselves, like one long back-and-forth about how we see the world and how we make sense of it through art. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to put all of this together.