Naturaleza Muerta 1918

‘Naturaleza Muerta’ is a still life painting by María Blanchard, made sometime before her death in 1932. Blanchard was part of the early cubist movement, alongside artists like Picasso and Braque, but her identity as a woman and as a disabled person shaped a unique perspective. In this painting, the everyday objects are fragmented into geometric forms and muted colors, reflecting the influence of cubism. Yet, the arrangement feels melancholic. The composition, while abstract, evokes a sense of domesticity, perhaps hinting at Blanchard's own experiences and limitations within the domestic sphere. Consider how Blanchard, due to her physical disabilities, often felt excluded from the more public and masculine spheres of the art world. Blanchard once said, "Painting is a way of forgetting life. It is a cry in the night, a sob, a curse." Her words reveal the emotional depth and personal struggle that underlie her art. Blanchard uses art not just to represent the world, but to express her innermost feelings and experiences. Through her fragmented forms, we glimpse a reflection of a fragmented self.