Still Life 1922

Emil Carlsen painted this Still Life, probably in his studio, judging by the considered composition with a blue and white ginger jar and a couple of bottles. Look how he’s built up the surface with brushstrokes, layer upon layer, each mark like a little decision. You can almost feel him thinking. I imagine he stood back, squinting, then moved in close again, adding touches of colour, softening edges here, defining them there. It’s like a conversation between him, the objects, and the paint itself. The way the colours vibrate against each other—that almost glowing yellow bottle against the muted blues and browns—it’s a subtle, sophisticated kind of harmony, a nod to painters like Chardin, maybe. I can see him looking to the past masters, yet finding his own voice through this quiet, intimate study of light and form. It reminds me that as painters, we are all in conversation with one another across time, constantly building upon and reimagining what’s come before.