The artwork “Still Life on Plaque” by Juan Gris, created in 1917, employs oil on canvas as its medium. It exemplifies the Synthetic Cubism art movement, an innovative style characterized by the use of collage and the synthesis of different textures, materials, and shapes. As a still life, this work presents inanimate objects, reimagining them through the Cubist lens.
In this composition, the artist explores the interplay of shape, color, and space to depict familiar objects in a fragmented, abstract manner. Despite the geometric fragmentation, there is a sense of structure and balance to the work. The palette is relatively muted, with shades of green, brown, gray, and black predominating, punctuated by occasional highlights. The canvas is marked by a textural quality that adds depth to the piece, with different areas seemingly superimposed or interwoven, perhaps suggesting the overlay of various materials, characteristic of the Synthetic Cubism movement’s approach. The inclusion of the artist’s signature and the date within the composition itself acts as both a form of identification and an integral part of the artwork’s overall design.
