Glass, Siphon and Checkerboard

Juan Gris's Glass, Siphon and Checkerboard (1917) is a charcoal drawing with stumping on cream laid paper, a still life that brings together a glass, a siphon (perhaps a soda siphon), and a checkerboard. These objects were familiar elements of the Cubist repertoire, and Gris's treatment transforms them through the characteristic Cubist procedures of fragmentation, geometric simplification, and spatial analysis. The charcoal technique allows for rich, deep blacks and subtle gradations of tone. The stumping creates soft transitions that give the composition depth and atmosphere. The cream laid paper provides a warm, textured ground. This drawing from 1917 belongs to the later phase of Gris's Cubism, when his style was becoming more structured and classical. The checkerboard, with its regular grid, provides a formal anchor for the more fluid forms of the glass and siphon. The composition is balanced and harmonious, demonstrating Gris's mastery of the Cubist still life.

Gris's late Cubist drawings demonstrate the evolution of his style toward a more structured, classical approach that maintained the principles of Cubism while achieving a new harmony and balance.

This charcoal still life of a glass, siphon, and checkerboard achieves a perfect balance between Cubist fragmentation and classical harmony, the checkerboard grid providing structure for the composition.