Still Life with Lemons 1910

Cuno Amiet made this still life painting with a collection of marks in a bright, colourful palette. Just imagine the act of painting itself, the artwork shifting, emerging, through trial, error, and intuition. I can imagine Amiet standing in front of his canvas, squinting at his objects, maybe pausing to think. The paint looks thick, and these elements shape our experience, contributing to the emotional and intellectual parts of the work. Look at the green marks in the background; they are dashed off quickly, but they communicate a feeling of abundance. There are echoes of Van Gogh in this work, maybe some Matisse too. It is clear that artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity across time. Painting is a form of embodied expression embracing ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.