Still life 1914

Andre Derain made this still life painting with oil on canvas; the date is unknown. Look how the blues and greens push and pull against the oranges and browns. I can imagine Derain playing with these objects in his studio. How has the painting come into being, shifting through trial, error, and intuition? The thick brushstrokes give the composition a vibrant energy. I can almost feel his hand moving across the canvas, trying to capture the essence of each object, and the relationships between them. The painting feels like a conversation between forms and colors. The blue pitcher, with its stark outline, really pops, but it is balanced by the soft, muted tones of the guitar and the mysterious green glass. Like all artists, Derain was in an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, riffing off his influences while exploring his own voice. For me, painting is all about embracing ambiguity and uncertainty and allowing for multiple interpretations.