Bodegón 1918

Editor: This is María Blanchard’s "Bodegón," painted in 1918. It’s an oil painting, showcasing a cubist still life. I’m struck by the fractured forms and the almost somber palette. What draws your eye to this particular piece? Curator: My focus immediately goes to the materials and processes. Blanchard’s application of oil paint, the layering, the almost brutal way she builds up the surfaces, tells us a lot. This wasn’t just about representation; it was about actively constructing a new material reality. Consider how cubism itself challenges conventional artistic production and the role of the artist in portraying reality. It's no longer imitation, it's an engagement with the materials and the social realities they reflect. How does that fracturing impact the viewer, do you think? Editor: I think it creates a sense of unease, maybe even reflects the instability of the time? The First World War was raging... Curator: Precisely! And what materials are available, and to whom, at a time of war? Cubism wasn't merely a formal revolution, but was a reflection of a rapidly changing world fueled by new technologies and industrial production. The fractured image is itself a kind of material comment on those very processes. Blanchard, being a woman and a disabled artist, would also be acutely aware of societal access to resources. Do you notice any textures or parts in the painting that speak of something crafted by hand? Editor: Now that you mention it, the way the dark paint is applied around the “guitar,” it looks deliberately rough, juxtaposed against smoother areas, it definitely alludes to both the handmade object and its deconstruction. Curator: Yes, the “Bodegón” reveals her critique of the capitalist notion of seamless consumerism, a concept quite alien to that moment of disruption during WWI. Blanchard skillfully lays bare the construction. Are the depicted objects recognizable for sure? The label "still life" suddenly seems… complicated, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, it shifts the focus from the subject matter to the means of its creation, it’s not just about what’s painted, but how. Thank you, I’ll certainly be rethinking how I approach Cubism from now on. Curator: And I find myself pondering what a “seamless” art-world, in an unequal society, truly implies… Food for thought!