The Table in Front of the Window 1921

Juan Gris made this painting, "The Table in Front of the Window," out of oil on canvas, and the year is unknown, but it really makes you think about what painting can do. The shapes are simplified, sort of blocky, and the colours are muted tans and grays, but somehow that all adds up to a feeling. You can tell he’s trying to show you what’s really there, under the surface. I feel like he’s searching for a way to capture the essence of what he’s seeing, not just copying it, and there's a newspaper in there too! It's like he’s saying, hey, we’re all in this together, trying to figure out how to see the world and show it to each other. Painters like Gris are constantly talking to each other across time, picking up on each other’s ideas, and pushing the conversation forward. It makes you wonder what else painting can do, right?