Tabletop Still Life 1939

Gregoire Boonzaier’s "Tabletop Still Life" is a painting where thick strokes and blended hues conspire to create a sense of depth, capturing a fleeting moment in time. The paint has a juicy, almost sculptural quality, particularly in the way the colours are built up in the flowers, and the dark pot behind. Boonzaier isn't trying to hide anything, you can see every stroke, every decision. Look at the rim of the plate in the bottom right, where the colours smear and blend together: it's like he’s inviting us into his process. The colours feel casual, but create a harmony overall, echoing the Fauvist tradition with a bit more earthiness, like a conversation between Matisse and Bonnard. You could spend all day trying to capture the exact right purple to describe the shadows in a bunch of flowers, but here he finds it with an expressive brush and a few simple strokes. It’s a reminder that painting is an ongoing conversation, a back and forth, a push and pull, where beauty is often found in the unexpected.