ARRANGEMENT OF JUGS 1938

Frances Hodgkins gave us this ‘Arrangement of Jugs’, playing with colour and form in a way that feels like she’s not just depicting objects but building them from scratch. Look at how the colours aren’t just filling in lines but defining the objects themselves. That blob of red, for instance – is it a jug, a flower, or just a splash of boldness? I love how the yellow jug seems to vibrate, almost as if it’s too alive to be still. It reminds me of how a simple shape can hold so much emotion, just by the way it leans or glows. Hodgkins’ work reminds me a bit of Morandi, but with a wilder spirit. Both artists find endless possibilities in humble objects, but Hodgkins brings this element of playful abstraction. It’s like she’s inviting us to see the world not as it is, but as it could be, full of unexpected colours and shapes.