Blue Tablecloth 1907

Igor Grabar painted this still life, "Blue Tablecloth", using oil on canvas. Grabar builds up the image with individual brushstrokes, each a dab of pure color. This pointillist technique really emphasizes the materiality of paint. Look closely, and you'll see the physical texture he created on the canvas. This was not simply illusionism; it was about making you aware of the work involved. This approach also reflects the rise of consumer culture. The objects depicted, like the woven basket and patterned tablecloth, are signs of a comfortable life, accessible to a growing middle class. But the painting's broken surface reminds us that even everyday beauty is constructed, the product of labor and design. By foregrounding the process of its making, Grabar elevates the status of labor, craft, and design, things that have long been considered separate from high art.