Tabletop Still Life 1939

Gregoire Boonzaier created this "Tabletop Still Life" with oil on canvas. Look at the thick brushstrokes; the colors are dabbed on with gusto! I can imagine Boonzaier setting up this scene, arranging the flowers just so. You know, flowers can be bossy. The jug is trying to compete with the explosion of blossoms – red, yellow, white, and purple, each petal is alive with texture. There’s something so vibrant, so immediate about the painting. You can feel the artist’s hand, the energy of the moment captured in these strokes. You can also see his influences. It reminds me a bit of Matisse. The black pot is placed on the table and echoes the emptiness of a dark night. It is a great contrast to the liveliness of the flowers. With just a few brushstrokes, Boonzaier makes you feel the weight of the objects. Painters, we are all in conversation with each other! Painting is not just representation; it’s a way of feeling, of thinking, a translation of the world onto canvas. It’s this ambiguity that allows us to connect with the artwork, finding our own stories within its layers.