Tempting Still Life 2000

Dmytro Kavsan imagined this Tempting Still Life, probably in oil, with a muted palette of greys and golds, enlivened by dabs of red and flashes of white. I can imagine the painting coming into being, objects shifting, colours deepening, as he added layer upon layer of paint. Poor Dmytro, I feel you. The perspective seems to have got a bit lost somewhere along the way, but I have to say I love the audacity of this composition! Look at the way the waterfall tumbles over the front edge of the table, a kind of tablecloth. The contrast between the greyscale background and the bursts of colour is so exciting! Did the kayak get caught in the flood or did it go there intentionally? I'm taken by the fact that this painting is signed. For some artists, a signature is the final step, a bold declaration of their intention. In this case, I think of it as an integral part of the work, which has a painterly confidence all of its own.