The artwork “Newspaper, Glass and Pear” was created by the artist Juan Gris in 1917. It is executed in oil on canvas and is a fine example of the Synthetic Cubism movement. The genre of this piece is still life, and as of the latest information available, it is held in a private collection.
In the composition of the artwork, Gris employs a palette that consists predominantly of earthy tones and shades of grey, accentuated by the occasional use of brighter colors like red and orange to add contrasts and depth. True to the Synthetic Cubism style, the objects are broken down into a series of geometric shapes and planes that are reassembled in an abstracted form. These forms and the play on negative and positive space challenge the viewers’ perception of depth and perspective.
Despite the abstraction, the representation of the items is evident from the title: a piece of newspaper, a glass, and a pear. Gris often included everyday objects in his works, examining and dissecting them in his distinctive Cubist approach, thus transforming the mundane into a complex interplay of shapes and colors that suggest rather than plainly depict their forms. The surfaces intersect at various angles, creating a layered and textural effect that provides insight into the artist’s exploration of form and light. Additionally, the strategic use of shading helps to suggest the three-dimensionality of the objects within the flattened pictorial space.
