The Smoker II 1913

Juan Gris made "The Smoker II" with pencil and charcoal, breaking down a familiar scene into geometric forms. You can almost see the artist feeling his way through it, line by line, trying to capture something more than just a guy with a smoke. I get the sense Gris is teasing out the essence of smoking. It's more than just a physical act, right? Look how he's fractured the image; it's like he's trying to show us the multiple dimensions of the experience. The way the charcoal smudges around the edges, it's hazy and dreamlike. It reminds me of Braque's cubist etchings, with that same sense of quiet contemplation. When you make a painting, it isn't just about what you see. It’s about what you feel. I see Gris working through something, searching for a new way to show us what it means to be human. Artists are constantly riffing off each other, trying to push the conversation forward, and the dialogue keeps evolving over time.