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Still Life

A work made of oil with charcoal or chalk on canvas.

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  • A work made of oil with charcoal or chalk on canvas.

Date:

1911

Artist:

Max Weber (American, born Białystok, Russian Empire, now Poland, 1881–1961)

About this artwork

Max Weber was one of the earliest American artists to explore Cubism, inspired by his friendship with Pablo Picasso. He met the Spanish artist in Paris while studying there in 1905–08, and at that time acquired one of Picasso’s still lifes—which became the first painting by Picasso to enter the United States. After his return to New York, Weber developed an expressive and increasingly sophisticated Cubist style. In Still Life, he rendered diverse elements in a complex and dynamic arrangement. The calligraphic handling of line energizes the forms of the composition, and the short, choppy brushwork breaks the pictorial space into planes. Although American critics, unfamiliar with or antagonistic toward modern painting, frequently responded harshly to Weber’s figural paintings, his still lifes met with approval, establishing him as the most advanced artist working in New York before the Armory Show.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Max Weber

Title

Still Life

Place

United States (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1911

Medium

Oil with charcoal or chalk on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed and dated l.r.: "Max Weber 1911"

Dimensions

54.8 × 46 cm (21 1/2 × 18 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Quinn E. Delaney and American Art Sales Proceeds funds; through prior acquisition of the George F. Harding Collection; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick G. Wacker Jr. Endowment Fund

Reference Number

2011.267

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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