Table with Flowers 1930

Arthur Beecher Carles made this painting, "Table with Flowers," without specifying the date, with oil on canvas. I love how the forms feel broken apart and reassembled, like a puzzle where the pieces don't quite fit. Looking closely, you can see the paint is applied in thick, juicy strokes. The colors are rich and earthy, punctuated by pops of bright yellow and blue. Notice the way the white outline around the plate is not perfect, instead it's wobbly and uneven, which gives the painting a sense of movement and energy. It’s like the whole scene is vibrating. Carles had obviously looked at Cubism, but also took note of Matisse’s use of colour. There's this beautiful tension between representation and abstraction, a push and pull that keeps the eye moving across the canvas. It reminds me of my own approach to painting. I feel like, as artists, we don't have to settle on one way of seeing, instead, we can embrace multiple perspectives at once.