#19073 Matias Quetglas

The composition presents two plates laden with baked goods against a pale blue-grey background. The arrangement is symmetrical; each plate occupies roughly equal space and mirrors the other in terms of visual weight. On the left plate, a dark chocolate cake, cut into a triangular wedge, dominates the scene. Beside it rests a pair of apricot halves, their surfaces rendered with subtle textural detail. The right plate showcases a braided pastry, likely containing fruit filling, accompanied by a meringue-like confection and a small, intensely colored piece of what appears to be candied or preserved fruit.
The artist’s rendering emphasizes the materiality of the objects. Light falls across the surfaces, highlighting their textures – the crumbly cake, the smooth glaze on the apricots, the flaky pastry, the airy meringue. The color palette is restrained, relying primarily on browns, oranges, pinks, and creams against the cool backdrop. This limited range contributes to a sense of quietude and focus on the objects themselves.
The work evokes associations with still life painting traditions, particularly those emphasizing domesticity and abundance. However, the starkness of the background and the almost clinical precision in the depiction of the food suggest a detachment from sentimental or celebratory interpretations. The presentation feels less like an invitation to indulgence and more like a meticulous study of form and color.
A subtext of transience might be present. Food, by its nature, is ephemeral; this careful documentation could be interpreted as a means of preserving a moment in time, capturing the fleeting beauty of perishable goods. The lack of human presence further reinforces this sense of observation rather than participation, suggesting that these objects exist outside of any narrative or personal context. Ultimately, the painting invites contemplation on the relationship between representation, materiality, and the passage of time.