L'œuvre en bref

In this still life painted in the 20th century, Nicolas de Staël focuses on simple domestic objects, which he treats primarily as plastic elements. During this period, he deliberately reduced his formal and chromatic vocabulary in order to concentrate on the balance of masses, rhythms and silences in the composition. Interior scenes provided him with a stable framework for organising space without traditional perspective or narration.

The canvas depicts two horizontal shelves set against an almost uniform light background. On the top shelf are a clear container, a beige pot and several orange fruits lined up in a row. On the bottom shelf, a candle, a small grey object, a black coffee pot and other fruits are spaced out with large empty spaces between them. The shapes are simplified, painted in thick, flat areas with slightly blurred contours. The colours—white, beige, black, and orange—structure the whole through sharp contrasts and visual repetitions.

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