1914 Nature morte aux fleurs de lis Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1908-1918

The composition presents a still life arranged on what appears to be a table surface. The artist has fragmented and reassembled recognizable objects – fruit, a glass, a lily – into a complex arrangement of geometric shapes and planes. A dominant color palette of ochre, green, brown, and cream is punctuated by small areas of white and black.
The spatial relationships are deliberately ambiguous. There’s no clear indication of depth or perspective; the objects seem to float within the picture plane, overlapping and intersecting in unexpected ways. The table itself isnt rendered as a continuous surface but rather broken down into distinct blocks of color and texture. This dismantling of traditional pictorial space contributes to a sense of disorientation and abstraction.
The inclusion of newspaper fragments introduces an element of contemporary relevance. These textual elements are not legible, yet their presence suggests the intrusion of external events or information into this seemingly domestic scene. The lily, traditionally associated with royalty and mourning, adds another layer of symbolic complexity. Its stylized representation – reduced to a series of angular forms – seems to strip it of its conventional meaning, integrating it into the overall fractured aesthetic.
The surface treatment is equally significant. Brushstrokes are visible but controlled, contributing to a sense of deliberate construction rather than spontaneous expression. The use of stippling and hatching creates textural variations that further complicate the visual field.
Subtly, theres an underlying tension between order and chaos. While the composition is structured by geometric forms, the fragmentation and disjunction create a feeling of instability. This may reflect a broader sense of societal upheaval or uncertainty prevalent during the period in which it was created – a world on the cusp of significant change. The still life genre, traditionally associated with tranquility and contemplation, is here transformed into something more unsettling and intellectually challenging.