1940 Nature morte aux poissons Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Period of creation: 1931-1942

The composition presents a still life arrangement centered around marine subjects, rendered in a fragmented and abstracted style. A shallow, rectangular plane serves as the immediate foreground, establishing a sense of compressed space. This plane is dominated by a large, roughly circular form – likely a basket or container – rendered in muted yellows and browns. Within this vessel lie several fish, depicted with simplified forms and angular planes that disrupt any naturalistic representation. One fish, prominently positioned, displays a vibrant blue hue contrasting against the more subdued palette of the surrounding elements.
Arranged around the central grouping are other organic shapes suggestive of marine life: tentacle-like appendages in shades of green twist and curl, while a crustacean form, characterized by sharp angles and a single prominent eye, sits adjacent to the fish. The background is treated as a monolithic grey expanse, devoid of detail, which further emphasizes the objects in the foreground through stark contrast.
The artist’s use of fractured forms and multiple perspectives creates a sense of visual instability. Theres an intentional dismantling of traditional perspective; elements appear simultaneously from different viewpoints, contributing to a disorienting effect. The limited color palette – primarily yellows, browns, blues, greens, and greys – reinforces the somber mood and contributes to the overall feeling of melancholy.
Beyond the literal depiction of marine life, the painting seems to explore themes of mortality and decay. The stillness of the fish, their fragmented representation, suggests a contemplation on impermanence. The arrangement itself feels staged, almost theatrical, hinting at an artificiality that distances the viewer from any sense of natural beauty or vitality. The starkness of the background and the compressed space contribute to a feeling of confinement and isolation. Ultimately, the work appears less concerned with celebrating the bounty of the sea than with examining the fragility and transience inherent in existence.