Composition. Still Life with a Decanter 1959

Editor: This is "Composition. Still Life with a Decanter," an oil painting created in 1959 by Valerii Lamakh. The strong geometric shapes give it a cubist feeling, but the loose brushwork hints at abstract expressionism. It is visually dense, almost chaotic. How do you see this piece? Curator: Formally, the interplay of warm and cool tones creates a dynamic tension. Note how Lamakh employs impasto, building up the surface to add a tactile dimension. The structure— the arrangement of forms— seems to deny conventional perspective. The painting's success depends on achieving equilibrium between chaos and control through formal means alone. How does the arrangement of lines influence your experience? Editor: I notice that the vertical lines compete with angular diagonals, making my eyes jump around. I'm curious; what does that tension achieve formally? Curator: The visual discord creates an energizing aesthetic experience. Think of it as a deconstruction of a still life, where objects are fragmented and reassembled, disrupting the viewer's expectation of coherence. Observe how this disharmony evokes a specific emotional response distinct from a traditional still life. Editor: It is amazing how focusing on the formal qualities has revealed a sense of tension within such an unassuming subject. I had not appreciated that before. Curator: Exactly! A renewed attention to those tensions can lead to a richer and novel artistic vocabulary, and that's always enriching for one's practice.