1908 Poires et pommes Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1908-1918

The composition presents a still life arrangement featuring three fruits – two pears and one apple – rendered in a manner that prioritizes geometric form over naturalistic representation. The artist has employed a limited palette dominated by ochre, green, grey, and red, contributing to a sense of austerity and formal rigor.
Here we see the fruit arranged on a sharply angled plane, likely a table or cloth, which occupies most of the lower half of the canvas. This surface is painted in a saturated red that contrasts starkly with the muted tones of the fruits and the grey backdrop. The background itself appears as a flat, undefined space, devoid of any discernible depth or detail.
The pears are depicted with simplified volumes, their rounded shapes broken down into facets and planes. Their surfaces appear textured through visible brushstrokes, suggesting a deliberate rejection of smooth, polished finishes. Similarly, the apple is reduced to its essential form – a sphere – with subtle variations in color indicating light and shadow. The artist has not attempted to create an illusion of three-dimensionality; instead, the objects are presented as flattened shapes occupying space on the picture plane.
The arrangement feels deliberate and constructed rather than spontaneous or observed from life. There is a sense of controlled fragmentation, where the forms are analyzed and reassembled in a new configuration. The lack of traditional perspective and the emphasis on geometric simplification suggest an interest in exploring the underlying structure of objects and challenging conventional notions of representation.
Subtly, the painting hints at themes of deconstruction and abstraction. The reduction of natural forms to their basic components can be interpreted as a questioning of established artistic conventions and a move towards a more conceptual approach to art-making. The limited color range and stark contrasts contribute to an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, inviting viewers to consider the formal elements of the work rather than its subject matter.