Still Life with Jug 1929

Kmetty János made this subtle watercolour still life with a jug and some fruit probably in the 1920s. Look at the way the colours bleed and blend, creating soft edges and atmospheric effects. I can imagine János layering the washes of colour, patiently building up the composition, letting the water do its thing. There is a tension between representation and abstraction. The forms are recognizable, but the way they intersect and overlap creates a sense of ambiguity, a kind of painterly puzzle that invites us to linger and contemplate. I bet János was thinking about Cezanne’s still lifes, but pushing it further. The shapes seem to float and shift, almost as if the objects are dematerializing before our eyes. János’s painting is a reminder that seeing is never passive; it’s an active, embodied process of constructing meaning and making sense of the world around us.