Composition with a Vase 1918

Gustave Buchet made this painting, Composition with a Vase, with oil on canvas. The canvas is a kind of fractured space. A tilted green plane supports a vase, maybe? Black and white geometric shapes flank the central form, like a cubist still life gone slightly awry. The brushstrokes, thick and visible, remind me of those early modernists trying to break down form, to see beyond the surface of things. I imagine Buchet wrestling with the canvas, trying to find a balance between representation and abstraction. Was he trying to capture the essence of a vase, or was the vase just an excuse to play with shapes and colors? The dark blue arabesque painted on the vase is exquisite and intriguing! It reminds me of Matisse's playful line. Buchet is not a household name, but I like him! He has a personal vision and a distinct voice, just like all artists who labor away in their studios, adding their own voice to the ongoing conversation of painting.