Naturaleza Muerta a La Guitarra 1918

María Blanchard made this still life of a guitar, called ‘Naturaleza Muerta a La Guitarra’, with paint, probably oil. The first thing I notice is the colour, those browns and blacks that seem to suck the light out of the scene, but then ping! there’s that surprising flash of pale green on the right, as if a little bit of the outside world had crept in. Looking closely, I can see how Blanchard uses these contrasting blocks of colour to build up the image, it's like she’s piecing together a puzzle, but one where the pieces don’t quite fit. Look at the way she’s handled the paint, it's neither too thick nor too thin, just right, you know? She’s not trying to hide the process, but equally, she’s not making a big deal out of it. It makes me think of Picasso, but a Picasso with a different sensibility, more introspective, maybe. Art's like a conversation, always referencing and responding, never quite pinned down.