Composition (Fish) 1929

Georges Valmier painted this 'Composition (Fish)' with oil on canvas, though we don't know exactly when. Looking at this, I'm struck by its playful geometry, that kind of deconstructed way of seeing something ordinary like a fish and turning it into something else entirely. The colour palette is what really grabs me, that mix of blues, browns, and blacks, it's almost nautical, like looking at a diagram of the sea, with these hard-edged forms slotting together. The paint application seems quite flat, almost like blocks of colour have been laid down, one next to the other. It's hard to tell if the artist worked with a brush or maybe a palette knife, but there's a real sense of intentionality, a careful placement of each form. Notice the way Valmier uses these wavy lines to suggest movement, it's not just a fish, it's a fish in motion. This piece has echoes of Fernand Léger and the other Cubists, but there's something very personal here, a unique way of seeing the world and turning it into a puzzle of colour and form. It's a testament to the idea that art is an ongoing conversation, a constant reinterpretation of what came before.