Still Life: Last Eleven (No. 7) 1972

Editor: This is Adrian Stokes’s *Still Life: Last Eleven (No. 7)*, housed at the Tate. It feels… ephemeral, like the forms are dissolving. What stands out to you in terms of its formal qualities? Curator: Observe how the artist employs a limited palette and broken brushstrokes. Note the interplay between the solidity of the objects and the atmospheric vagueness of the background. How does this tension affect your perception? Editor: It makes me question what's actually there. The forms aren't clearly defined. Curator: Precisely. Stokes masterfully manipulates paint to explore the boundary between representation and abstraction. Consider the relationship between color, form, and the absence of definitive lines. Editor: It's like he's asking us to complete the picture ourselves. I didn’t expect still life to be so challenging! Curator: Indeed. Stokes elevates the genre by emphasizing the act of seeing and interpreting.