Orange Vendor, Spain 1916

Natalia Goncharova painted this fantastically bold Orange Vendor, Spain, with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is how she fearlessly organizes color and form. This isn't just a painting of someone selling oranges; it's a wild, almost Cubist exploration of shape and pattern. Look at the way the yellows sing against the deep blues and greens, and the way the artist uses line to build form – a cone here, a rectangle there, layering the forms to create depth. The flat planes are not blended but sit alongside each other, creating a slightly jarring and exciting effect. Then there is the lattice effect used for the crate of oranges, such unexpected geometry! Goncharova feels similar in many ways to Sonia Delaunay, and also was a designer for the stage, which you can sense in the theatricality of this painting. Like looking at a puzzle that keeps changing shape, this painting remains a visual conversation rather than settling on a single, simple statement.