The artwork “Glass, Cup and Bottle” is a significant representation of Synthetic Cubism, a pivotal art movement defined by the likes of Juan Gris. This still life, a testament to Gris’s meticulous approach, showcases the essence of Synthetic Cubism through its fragmented composition, which synthesizes different views into a cohesive whole, while still suggesting the forms of everyday objects.
In the artwork, one observes an assemblage of geometric shapes and intersecting planes that give form to the titular glass, cup, and bottle, as well as to other elements like a newspaper, creating a complex visual puzzle. The objects and text fragments are rendered through a refined palette of earth tones against a stark blue background, emphasizing the synthetic aspect of this cubist composition. Hues of brown, beige, and cream dominate, lending a sense of harmony to the visually dissected forms. A discernible balance is struck between the two-dimensional surface plane and the illusion of three-dimensional space. Overall, the artwork depicts a meticulous manipulation of shape and space, characteristic of Gris’s oeuvre in the Synthetic Cubism movement.
