“Still Life with Gingerpot 2” is an artwork by Piet Mondrian created in 1912, crafted using oil on canvas. This painting is a part of the Cubism art movement and measures 91.5 x 120 cm. It depicts a still life, and it is currently located at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands.
The painting shows a collection of objects broken down into a series of cubic forms, a hallmark of Cubist style. The central object, from which the painting derives its name, is a gingerpot featured prominently at the center. Its rounded form is somewhat muted by the angular shapes surrounding it. The background and other objects are rendered in a similar geometric style, using a restrained color palette. Mondrian’s exploration of the relation between space, object, and form can be clearly seen, as he dissects the scene into a fragmentation of planes and lines that suggest a deeper spatial complexity. The still life isn’t immediately recognizable due to the abstraction, but close examination reveals the table, gingerpot, and other elements of a traditional still life rearranged in the new visual language of Cubism that Mondrian was exploring at this time in his career.
