Still Life with Instruments 1916

Lyubov Popova made this oil on canvas, called ‘Still Life with Instruments’, in the early 20th century. The painting seems to explode with geometric forms in yellow, blue, red and white against a dark background. I wonder what it was like for Popova to arrange these shapes, shifting and emerging through intuition? I can almost feel the movement in this painting, as if she built the composition from various fragments. There’s something about the contrast between the sharp-edged shapes and the smooth, rounded forms, which suggests a tension between the mechanical and the organic. And just look at the surface! The paint is applied in layers, creating depth and texture that invite you to reach out and touch it. It makes me think about the way artists are constantly talking to each other across time, borrowing ideas and pushing boundaries. It’s like we’re all part of this ongoing conversation, trying to make sense of the world in our own way.