Still Life 1930

Abraham Manievich made this still life with oils, most probably in the first half of the 20th century, and it feels like the painting came together with a real sense of freedom. The marks are applied with a casualness and an ease which suggests that he’s just going for it – splatting the paint down like he's wrestling with the bouquet! I can imagine him, brush in hand, circling the canvas, attacking different parts with those little dabs of orange, pink, and white. It’s intriguing to think about what Manievich was thinking when he made it. What’s cool is that, like with any painting, those marks communicate feelings, intentions, and meanings beyond any fixed interpretation. Painters are always in conversation with each other across time, and I feel like this work is breathing the same air as early modernists like Bonnard. And for me, the most exciting painting allows for ambiguity and uncertainty, opening up space for lots of different readings.