Napoleon Still Life 

Richard Lindner's "Napoleon Still Life" is a painting that seems to push against its very medium, oil on canvas. Lindner’s hard-edged style almost looks like collage. It is as if he is deliberately taking the hand out of painting, making it look like something produced by machine. This is no accident, as he was born in Germany during a time of vast industrial expansion. He would have been extremely aware of the effects of industrialization on labor. The painting itself is a bold statement, a mix of geometric abstraction and figuration. The artist combines these elements in an unusual way, toying with conventional notions of representation. The materials, though traditional, are employed in a manner that feels modern and even Pop, a testament to Lindner's unique approach to art-making and its ties to wider social issues.