The artwork titled “Still life with bull’s skull” was created by the renowned artist Pablo Picasso in the year 1939. Executed in oil on canvas, this piece is an exemplar of the Cubist movement, a paradigm in which Picasso played an essential role in its development. As a still life, it captures inanimate objects, arranged in a way that reflects the distinctive style associated with cubism. This artwork is currently housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
The artwork exhibits a bold composition, characterized by the fragmented and geometric representation of objects, a hallmark of cubism. Central to the canvas is the bull’s skull, displayed prominently and fractured into angular sections that disrupt the viewer’s expectation of natural form. Accompanying the skull are elements typical of a still life such as fruit, notably an apple and a pear, stylized and split similarly into facets and planes. The pitcher to the right of the skull is adorned with vibrant red and black patterns, presented in a distorted form that complements the overall dissection of perspective. The backdrop of the composition includes fragmented depictions of what appears to be a window view, with divided planes hinting at interior and exterior spaces. The juxtaposition of the skull with domestic items and glimpses of nature, perhaps visible through the window, weaves a narrative of life and death, contrasting permanence with the ephemeral.
In the background, an ethereal moon or celestial body looms near a simplified representation of a leafless tree, offering a stark symbolic resonance against the otherwise domestic setting. Picasso’s use of color is both restrained and purposeful, with the muted tones of the bull’s skull against the more animated hues of the pitcher and fruit, bringing a dynamic balance to the composition. Through these cubist manipulations, Picasso challenges the viewer’s perception of reality and depth, emphasizing the interplay between form, shadow, and light while questioning the very nature of representation in art.
