Natura Morta 1951

This painting, Natura Morta, is by Giorgio Morandi, who devoted his life to still life. He's like a monk of the mundane. Just look at these quiet, dusty colours and simple shapes; he’s really stripping things down to their essence. It’s like he’s asking, ‘What is the bare minimum needed to make a painting?’ I picture him in his studio, shuffling these bottles and boxes around, searching for the perfect arrangement, the perfect light. There’s something so intimate and personal about that process. And the paint itself, it’s not trying to be flashy or impressive, it’s just there, doing its job, quietly supporting these humble objects. It feels like he's not just painting objects, but painting the act of seeing itself, if that makes sense. These paintings connect him to Cezanne, Chardin, but also artists today. We're all remixing the same ideas, just with different tools. Isn't that cool?