Provenance
Henry Kapferer, Paris; (sold, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 14 June 1930); purchased by Chester Dale [1883-1962], New York; bequest 1963 to NGA.
Accession Number
1963.10.141
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 81.6 x 100.3 cm (32 1/8 x 39 1/2 in.) | framed: 113 x 132.1 x 8.8 cm (44 1/2 x 52 x 3 7/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Chester Dale Collection
Tags
Painting Early Modern (1901–1950) Oil Painting Canvas French
Background & Context
Background Story
Still Life from 1927-28 is one of Dufresne's rare treatments of the still life genre, rendered with the decorative color and sculptural form that distinguish his mythological paintings. The objects of the still life are arranged in the shallow, flattened space that characterizes Dufresne's mature style, with the forms simplified and the color heightened to create a composition that is as much a decorative arrangement as a representation of objects. The 1927-28 date places this in the period when Dufresne was producing his most accomplished work in the decorative, sculptural style that he had developed during the 1920s.
Cultural Impact
Dufresne's Still Life is important because it demonstrates that the decorative, sculptural style he used for mythological subjects could be applied to the still life genre with equally successful results. The shallow space, simplified forms, and heightened color create a composition that is as much a decorative arrangement as a representation of objects, demonstrating that Dufresne's modernist simplification was not limited to narrative subjects.
Why It Matters
Still Life is Dufresne applying his decorative modernist style to the traditional genre: objects arranged in shallow, flattened space with simplified forms and heightened color that create a composition as much decorative as representational. The 1927-28 painting demonstrates that Dufresne's sculptural simplification was not limited to mythological subjects.
