The Glass ( The Fruit Bowl) 1914

Here we have Juan Gris's "The Glass (The Fruit Bowl)", a painting that invites us into the fractured world of Cubism through a still life rendered in ochre hues and stark contrasts. The composition deconstructs familiar forms into geometric planes. See how the glass and fruit bowl aren't presented as continuous volumes, but rather as a series of angles and surfaces? This fragmentation challenges our conventional understanding of objects, playing with perception and representation. Gris uses color to define these planes, creating depth and shadow, yet simultaneously flattening the picture plane. This interplay between representation and abstraction is central to Cubism. Gris destabilizes the traditional still life by dissecting and reassembling its components. The artist invites us to question what we see and how we perceive reality. "The Glass (The Fruit Bowl)" becomes a site where the familiar is made strange, inviting us to consider the multifaceted nature of seeing itself.