The artwork titled “Still Life with Bowl and Fruit” by Pablo Picasso, created in 1912, represents a quintessential piece within the Synthetic Cubism movement. Executed using a diverse range of media including chalk, charcoal, oil, watercolor, and cardboard, the piece measures 64 by 49.5 cm. The still life genre is vividly explored through Picasso’s innovative technique, and it is currently housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
This artwork is a prime example of Synthetic Cubism, characterized by the construction of a composition from cut paper, fabric, and wallpaper to create a pictorial play of overlapping and intersecting planes. The fragmented forms and various textures create a non-traditional still life, where objects are not simply represented but actively reconstructed through abstract means. Colors and patterns are juxtaposed to provide visual intrigue, while text elements and newspaper clippings integrate the real world into the canvas, blurring the line between art and life. The influence of this movement is demonstrated in the artwork’s emphasis on shape and form over the representational depiction of objects.
