Still Life with Fruits 1930

Kmetty János made this still life painting of fruit, we're not sure when, but I imagine he might have made it in one sitting. It is like he placed the objects - a cup and some fruit - onto the canvas and then he painted them, carefully, roughly, the dark paint smudged around the objects with the occasional glimpse of white. I can see Kmetty János trying to capture their weight and form. The white cup feels very three-dimensional, and the brushstrokes are directional, as if he really wanted to show you the shape and form of the cup. The objects are not quite centered, and he's cropped into the composition, which makes me feel a little bit nervous, like he’s not so interested in getting it "right", but in getting the feeling right. You can feel Kmetty János's presence in the rough and uneven way he has painted everything. He’s like me, he doesn’t want to hide the gesture, but show you the movement of the hand. It’s a nod to the history of painting, a knowing wink to the other artists.