Personnage Assis À Une Table Ronde 

Louis Marcoussis's "Personnage Assis À Une Table Ronde" is an oil painting, rendered with the geometric vocabulary of Cubism. The material properties of oil paint are masterfully employed here, with the flat picture plane built up through layering and careful arrangements of color. Marcoussis’s Cubism is a far cry from the mass-produced commodities of modern industry. Instead, its value comes from his careful application of paint, the precise delineation of form, and the way he manipulates light and shadow to create a sense of depth. Notice how he captures the textures of different objects – the sheen of a glass, the matte surface of a tabletop. In a way, the painting process itself becomes a form of labor, mirroring the work of artisans who skillfully craft objects by hand. By engaging with these processes, Marcoussis elevates the status of craft and challenges traditional hierarchies within the art world. It reminds us that the value of art lies not only in its aesthetic qualities but also in the labor, skill, and cultural context that shape its creation.