Naturaleza Muerta Mujer Con Mandolina 1918

María Blanchard painted "Naturaleza Muerta Mujer Con Mandolina" with oil on canvas in a Cubist style. I love how the muted browns and grays, punctuated by moments of stark white and pale greens, give the piece a kind of quiet intensity. It’s all about layering, dissecting, and reassembling. Look at the way Blanchard uses the paint, applying it in flat planes that both define and disrupt the image. The surface has a lovely matte quality. There's one section, just above the mandolin, where the brushstrokes seem to follow the curve of the instrument. This brings a sense of depth to an otherwise flattened composition. It's a subtle move, but it brings the whole thing to life. Blanchard was working at the same time as Picasso and Braque, but she brings her own sensibility. All artists are magpies, stealing from each other. But it's what you do with the stolen goods that counts!