Still Life on a Mantelpiece

Georges Braque

ca. 1923

oil and sand on canvas

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Through unusual combinations of color, line, and texture, Georges Braque pushed the boundaries of representing objects from various perspectives. While he is best known for his Cubist collaborations with Pablo Picasso , Braque continued to create art long after his creative relationship with Picasso ended. Unlike his former partner, however, Braque often preferred the quiet of his studio to burning bright in the world of art. The subject of the still life on a mantelpiece repeatedly piqued his interest, and from 1919 to 1926, Braque made at least six studies of this theme. He was drawn to its spatial tension and the way in which it