Juan Gris’ Still Life Before an Open Window (1915), also known as Place Ravignan, is a Cubism oil painting featuring both indoor and outdoor views. In this piece, Gris utilizes the type of composition known as Synthetic Cubism, which emerges through the contrast between Cubist faceting and the smooth handling of the paint surface. The painting presents itself as bold and colorful, with bright oranges and greensstanding out from a black background. It displays muted oranges, purples, blues and even some pink – creating a soft harmonies of hues that are brought out by whites, warm yellows and brownish reds. These factor together give us an abstract yet perfect vision of nature outside clashing in a harmonious way to what we recognize inside our homes. Consequently, Juan Gris has created a powerful piece that captures two contrasting worlds: the real world outside our windows and the homey interior environment.
