The artwork “Still-life with Oil Lamp” by Juan Gris, created in the period between 1911 and 1912, is an oil on canvas that embodies the principles of Analytical Cubism. Measuring 48 by 33 centimeters, this still life genre painting is part of the collection at the Kröller-Müller Museum located in Otterlo, the Netherlands.
The artwork presents a fragmented and abstracted composition typical of the Analytical Cubism movement, where objects are broken down into their geometric components and depicted from multiple viewpoints simultaneously. Neutral tones interspersed with touches of blue imbue the artwork with a subdued and reflective quality. Angular shapes and shifting planes suggest the form of an oil lamp as well as related objects, playing with the perception of depth and perspective in a way that challenges traditional representational art. Spatial relationships are conveyed through the juxtaposition of these shapes, which seem to both overlap and recede, creating an intricate and dynamic interplay of form and space that encourages the viewer to contemplate the complexity of seeing and representation.
