1915 Verre, as de trКfle, bouteille sur une table Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1908-1918

The composition presents a still life arranged on what appears to be a tabletop surface. The artist has fragmented and reassembled recognizable objects – a bottle, a glass, playing cards – into a complex geometric arrangement. These elements are not depicted in a traditional representational manner; instead, they are broken down into facets of color and shape, presented simultaneously from multiple viewpoints.
The palette is dominated by earthy tones – ochres, browns, greens – punctuated by blues and touches of orange. The colors are applied in flat planes, contributing to the overall sense of deconstruction and abstraction. Light appears to emanate from an unseen source, casting shadows that further define the angular forms.
A significant element within the arrangement is a stack of playing cards, one of which reveals a portion of its face – a spade. This inclusion introduces a layer of symbolic complexity. Playing cards often represent chance, risk, and games of skill; their presence here might suggest an exploration of these themes or a commentary on the arbitrary nature of perception itself.
The tabletop surface is rendered with a textured quality, suggesting wood grain, but its perspective is distorted to align with the fractured geometry of the objects it supports. The background is dark, almost black, which serves to isolate and emphasize the still life elements. This stark contrast intensifies the sense of spatial ambiguity and contributes to the painting’s overall formal rigor.
The work seems less concerned with depicting a specific scene than with exploring the fundamental nature of representation – how objects can be perceived, analyzed, and reconstructed through artistic means. The artists approach challenges conventional notions of perspective and realism, inviting viewers to actively engage in the process of visual interpretation. There is an underlying tension between order and chaos, solidity and fragmentation, that defines the painting’s aesthetic impact.