Still Life 

Konstantinos Parthenis made this “Still Life” painting with oil on canvas. The way the paint has been thinly applied, allowing the texture of the canvas to come through, makes the objects seem almost weightless, as if they might float away. The sparse color palette, dominated by earthy tones, gives a sense of quiet contemplation. The linear quality is intriguing. The artist has scored lines onto the canvas, dividing up the pictorial space like a carpenter might mark out a piece of furniture. These lines create a sense of structure, yet they also flatten the composition, almost like a technical drawing. The presence of a table and the suggestion of a female nude in the background adds to this mix of geometry and sensuality. Considering the materials, making, and context of the artwork, challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.