Francis Picabia – The Olive Trees, 1938 Sotheby’s

The composition presents a landscape dominated by two gnarled olive trees in the foreground. Their trunks twist and curve dramatically, exhibiting a palpable sense of age and resilience. The foliage is rendered with thick, impasto brushstrokes, creating a textured surface that suggests density and vitality. A band of vegetation, punctuated with hints of red flowers, sits beneath the trees, providing a horizontal grounding element to the scene.
Beyond this immediate foreground, a body of water stretches towards a distant horizon. The water’s surface is depicted with short, choppy strokes, conveying movement and reflecting the muted colors of the sky above. A range of low mountains or hills appears on the far shore, their forms softened by atmospheric perspective and rendered in pale pink and blue hues.
The color palette is largely restrained, revolving around greens, blues, browns, and touches of red. The overall effect is one of tranquility and a quiet observation of nature. However, the exaggerated curvature of the trees introduces an element of distortion that prevents the scene from feeling entirely naturalistic. This deliberate departure from strict representation suggests a focus on conveying emotional or symbolic content rather than purely visual accuracy.
The artist’s technique – the visible brushwork and the somewhat flattened perspective – implies a subjective interpretation of the landscape, prioritizing expressive qualities over detailed realism. The trees themselves, with their twisted forms, might be interpreted as symbols of endurance, adaptation, or even struggle against adversity. Their prominence in the composition suggests they are not merely decorative elements but rather central figures within this visual narrative. The vastness of the water and distant land further contributes to a sense of scale and perhaps hints at themes of isolation or contemplation.