Still Life with Frying Pan and Red Cabbage 1979

Louisa Matthiasdottir made this painting of a Still Life with Frying Pan and Red Cabbage, with visible, chunky brushstrokes creating shapes out of simple domestic objects. The dominant blue of the tablecloth is really what catches my eye, with its bold checks creating a strong, anchoring presence to the rest of the composition. I imagine her, standing in front of the canvas, working quickly, trying to capture the fleeting qualities of light and shadow as they move across the objects. It seems like the paintings of still life is a way of making order, in a world of chaos, where the artist gets to control everything inside the frame. I love the addition of the mirror, and the objects repeated but slightly distorted in the reflection – she’s hinting at multiple perspectives, both real and imagined. Matthiasdottir's work has this wonderful sense of groundedness, which reminds us that artists are always looking to each other for inspiration, and that painting is a way to make sense of the world through observation, experimentation, and a love of the everyday.