Still Life 1941

Vilhelm Lundstrom made this still life painting with what looks like oil paint, moving and shifting things around, trying one color, then another. There are all these rectangles and blocks of color–blues, yellows, reds, and browns–layered and bumping up against one another. It’s like Lundstrom’s wrestling with form, trying to build up a scene. The paint isn't too thick but sits confidently on the surface, giving each color its own weight and presence. I can imagine Lundstrom stepping back, squinting, maybe tilting his head, trying to get it just right. You can see the influence of cubism here, but it has its own peculiar feeling. I imagine him looking at a Cezanne, or a Braque, but instead of copying them, he's pushing the conversation further. It's like he’s saying, "Okay, I see what you did, now let me try something of my own." That's what painting is all about, that ongoing exchange of ideas and inspiration.