Egg and Cauliflower 1926

George Washington Lambert made this still life called 'Egg and Cauliflower' with oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are so present, aren’t they? It’s like he’s sculpting with paint, building up the forms of the vegetables. And look at the physicality of the medium. The paint is applied so thickly that it creates a real sense of texture, especially in the cauliflower head. You can almost feel the bumpy surface. Then the way he flicks the brush to create the leaves, it really feels like you could just pluck one off. The whole painting has an energy to it, like the vegetables have just been arranged. This kind of directness always reminds me of Courbet, that willingness to engage with the stuff of the world. I think there’s an honesty to it that is really enduring.