Bortnyik Sándor, Csendélet Vázával. 1923 

Sandor Bortnyik made this "Still Life with Vase" in 1923 using oil paint on canvas. The texture is visibly cracked, which can happen naturally over time, but it can also be encouraged by an artist to add character. Bortnyik’s still life is reduced to geometric forms and a limited color palette, moving away from traditional fine art subject matter. The work still makes use of traditional painting materials and processes, but, the composition and color are more closely aligned with avant-garde design, advertising, and printing of the period. The painting evokes the clean lines and bold forms of industrial design, a rejection of the hand-made in favor of machine production. While the painting itself is undoubtedly hand-made, it seems to almost celebrate the aesthetics of industrial production through its composition and form. By engaging with the visual language of mass production, Bortnyik blurs the boundaries between fine art and design, prompting us to reconsider the relationship between art, labor, and commerce in the modern world.