Sliced Lemons

A cubist inspired still life composition, painted in oil onto canvas and dated 1956.

The focal point is a pair of sliced lemons, painted in thick, creamy strokes of yellow, white, and peach, giving them a fresh, tactile presence. Beside the fruit is a green pear-like form, adding another organic shape and hue. These items rest on a dark surface, perhaps a tabletop, which is painted in large, angular blocks of navy and black.

A small brown table or cabinet with short legs sits in the upper right quadrant. It appears simplified and stylised, reinforcing the abstracted, geometric quality of the whole scene.

This piece is heavily influenced by Cubism and early modernism. Forms are reduced to flat planes and hard-edged shapes and the brushwork is confident but restrained. There is a visible grid-like structure as if the artist constructed the composition like a puzzle.

The painting feels studied, measured, and designed, like an artist exploring how to deconstruct the familiar (fruit and furniture) into new visual language. It invites the viewer to slow down, observe form over realism, and enjoy the way light and space are broken into segments. The fractured composition gives it a slightly modern, mosaic-like effect, almost architectural in nature.

The painting is housed in a light grey wood with a weathered patina and a gently bevelled design. Both painting and frame are in excellent vintage condition.