Table Overlooking the Sea 1925

Juan Gris made this painting of a table overlooking the sea with oil on canvas. What a mix of pleasure: art supplies, books, and fruit. I can imagine Gris in his studio, arranging these shapes and colors just so, maybe moving the guitar a little to the left, tilting the book ever so slightly. The brown and red palette is so warm and inviting, and the geometric shapes create a sense of order. I love how the edge of the table meets the sea in the background. The scene seems both real and not real, the guitar a character, but it is still also a painting of a guitar. This reminds me a bit of Picasso’s cubist still-lifes, but with a softer touch. Gris and Picasso were in dialogue of course, two painters trying to figure out how to represent the world. I think this painting is his way of inviting us into that conversation, asking us to consider how we see the world, and how painting can help us see it differently.