Still Life 1920

Olga Boznanska made this still life painting with oil on canvas, with what seems like a limited palette. The materials in this painting include glass vessels, which seem to be arranged in the artist’s studio, or perhaps a domestic setting. The canvas itself is heavily worked, with layers of brushstrokes, which build up a rich, textured surface. There are thin glazes and thicker impasto, creating a sense of depth and luminosity. Boznanska has engaged with a rich tradition of oil painting, a technique that stretches back centuries, but here she’s really pushing the medium to its limits. You can see her manipulating the material to achieve a shimmering, almost ethereal quality. Paintings like these were luxury goods, dependent on industrial capitalism for the provision of pigments, canvas, and brushes. Boznanska's engagement with these materials and processes demonstrates how much the final artwork transcends these origins, reflecting a distinctive vision. By emphasizing materials, making, and context, we recognize the artwork's full meaning, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.