Bottle and Glass 

Juan Gris made this painting, Bottle and Glass, with oil on canvas in the style of Synthetic Cubism. The fragmented representation, with familiar objects seen from multiple angles, reflects the cultural and social upheavals of early 20th-century Europe. Gris was Spanish but lived and worked in France. His work engaged with the avant-garde art scene of Paris, which at the time was still focused on the Cubist principles developed by Picasso and Braque. But while the first Cubists were committed to neutral subject matter, Gris brought references to real life back into his paintings; here, a wine bottle, glass, and newspaper are clearly depicted. We can view it as a kind of commentary on the rapidly changing world in which he lived. The inclusion of "Le Journal" hints at the importance of the media in shaping public opinion. The art institutions of the time provided a space where artists like Gris could challenge traditional artistic conventions. The interpretation of art is always going to be shaped by its context. To understand art like this fully, we need to draw on social, political, and cultural history, as well as knowledge of the institutions that shaped its production and reception.