Zátišie before 1945

Cyprián Majerník made this painting of a potted plant with oil on canvas at some point in the first half of the 20th century. The surface is thick and the colors are murky. I wonder what it was like for Majerník, standing in front of his subject with his materials, trying to bring the outside in. Did he feel trapped indoors? Is that why he painted a potted plant and not a plant in situ? Or was it simply that he loved the idea of containing nature, bringing order to the chaos of the natural world? The way he has painted the edges of the painting, the blurry background, and the soft, smudgy surface is what makes this painting so captivating. Painting is all about the surface and the decisions of how to get the paint from the can to the canvas. I wonder if Majerník knew how his work would continue to resonate and inspire other artists, like me, to pick up a brush and engage in the ongoing conversation of painting?