Still Life with Zinnias in a green Jar 1910

Floris Verster painted this Still Life with Zinnias in a green Jar with oil on canvas, and the brushstrokes are short, loose, and full of light. Looking at this, I think about Verster and his process – the way he might’ve stepped back, squinted, and then lunged forward to daub at the canvas with a loaded brush. There’s a real sense of the hand in this work, you know? The way the paint sits on the surface, thick in places, almost sculptural. It reminds me of other painters like Manet, who were also interested in capturing the fleeting qualities of light and color. You can feel the physicality, the energy of his application, which gives it a lovely, immediate feel. See that stroke of green there? The one that defines the edge of the jar? That single gesture speaks volumes. It's like he's saying, "This is paint, this is a jar, this is how I see the world." And as viewers we get to participate in that seeing, that thinking. What a generous act!