Nasturtiums and Pink Cups 1981

Editor: Here we have Janet Fish’s "Nasturtiums and Pink Cups" from 1981. The interplay of light and shadow gives it a strangely cozy yet melancholic feeling, almost like a memory fading at the edges. It appears to be made using pastel and maybe even oil. What grabs your attention the most? Curator: The light. Definitely the light. It isn’t just illuminating objects, it’s almost caressing them, isn't it? That luminosity, those colours...it reminds me of Renoir, or even a looser Morisot, capturing a fleeting domestic moment. Did you notice how the tilted cups seem precarious, and on the verge of spilling? Editor: Absolutely, they do seem a bit off-kilter! Almost as if a narrative is about to unfold, capturing both a sense of warmth and a certain fragility. Curator: Fragility…exactly! Fish plays with this tension so beautifully, doesn't she? Ordinary objects elevated to symbolic weights. The flowers, reaching like flames, are almost past their peak while still gorgeous. Does the background seem unresolved to you, or an element of harmony? Editor: Good point... rather than detracting from it, it gives this amazing sense of quiet drama. A story waiting to unfold or being replayed... I never considered that before. Curator: Right? Art, for me, always lands somewhere between dream, intention, and pure accident. What an enigmatic world Janet Fish makes visible. Editor: Well, I'll never look at a still life the same way. So much for that "cozy" assessment – definitely more complexity here! Curator: Precisely! The piece has revealed an enduring quality that grows richer with sustained inspection.