Still Life: Fruit Dish and Pitcher (Natue morte: compotier et cruche)

Here, Picasso interprets a simplistic still life with more intricate elements, such as ample geometry and resonant colors. All objects on the table, in addition to the table itself, are presented as if they are surging forward, almost as if they are on the crest of a wave. This artistic effect is partly a result of the daringly simple background which is divided into two halves of slightly different shades of brown. These browns against the vividly colored table and objects create the illusion that they are floating. The conjunction of the two brown walls dictates the color shifts that occur in the two nearly symmetrical halves of the image, setting the objects into sharp relief. Simultaneously, it creates a separation, or rather, the illusion of separation, between the fruit dish and the pitcher. This isolating effect is in full accord with the Spanish still-life tradition, a tradition that Picasso was passionate about and felt akin to incorporate into his work rather than stray from it.
SKU: 6111
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: Jan. 21-22, 1937
Original Medium: enamel on canvas
Original Size: 19 5/8 x 23 15/16 in
Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
© Succession Picasso 2011

Paper SizePortrait / LandscapeUnframedFramed
Petite8x10 / 10x8$19$109
Small11x14 / 14x11$29$189
Medium16x20 / 20x16$59$279
Large22x28 / 28x22$99$389
Extra Large32x40 / 40x32$159$499