Still Life in Lamplight

Some of Slewinski’s still life canvases are closer to Cezanne than to Gauguin, but in all of his work he created his own particular atmosphere. His choice of dark colours lends an air of intimacy to this scene, where, at first, the viewer’s attention is drawn to the lamp and the pale light glowing through its green shade. Then, as the eye adapts to the darkness, other elements emerge: a mirror on the left, a table, and a pile of books on the right. In the foreground, the diagonal line of an open book establishes the perspective. This highly simplified work is very much in the style of the Pont-Aven School.