Still Life With Seashell 1972

This is 'Still Life With Seashell’ by Henri Catargi. It’s got such a warm palette, the ochre and rust colours of the shell and fan really pop, and the limes add a sharp little contrast. I can just imagine Catargi setting up this still life, arranging the objects just so, then squinting and trying to capture the light, thinking about colour relationships. The paint looks fairly thick, you can almost feel the texture. I think what's so special about painting is the process of observation, and trying to distill that onto the canvas. Like, what did Catargi think about the relationship between the objects, and how could he capture that. I mean, the seashell is so big and weighty and imposing, but it is not threatening. Each brushstroke seems like a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist and the subject. Painting's a conversation that extends through time, across different eras, with artists talking to each other, stealing ideas, and pushing back against the established ideas. Painting is so much more than just representation, it's a way of thinking and seeing. It invites multiple interpretations, and that’s what makes it so exciting!