Pedestal Table in front of the Window 1921

Juan Gris made this painting of a pedestal table in front of the window, but what is sitting on the table is hard to know, and that’s the point. The earth-tone colors are gorgeous, but it’s also interesting how muted the color palette is. Imagine Gris layering shapes on top of each other, trying to find the right composition, pushing and pulling different elements. It reminds me of how much of painting is a back-and-forth process: A lot of the time you are trying to get something that feels both right and wrong at the same time. You can see the influence of other cubists here, like Picasso and Braque, but Gris is doing his own thing. It’s like they are all in conversation with one another through their paintings. Painting is about ideas being exchanged and inspiring creativity. It’s a form of embodied expression where multiple readings are possible!