Still Life with Oranges 1922

Edvard Weie created this still life with oil on canvas, though the date is unknown. Looking closely, you'll notice the paint is applied in thick, expressive strokes, giving the surface a tangible, almost sculptural quality. The colors, though representational of the objects themselves, are not quite naturalistic. Oranges and lemons, a plant, and bowls, are all depicted in bold, slightly skewed forms. This isn't just a picture of fruit; it's a study in how the material of paint can construct a reality of its own. Weie’s engagement with the materiality of paint moves away from traditional, illusionistic representation. The visible brushwork and the almost palpable texture invite us to consider the physical act of painting itself. The work feels grounded in the labor and the decisions involved in its making, challenging any separation between the artist’s process, and the finished product. Weie brings modernist ideas of abstraction into the everyday. By emphasizing the material and the making, he asks us to reconsider what we mean by both ‘art’ and ‘still life’.