Otto Kat, de | Dordrecht, Netherlands
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untitled, 1981
oil on canvas, 48x58cmThe still life in the collection is one of three still lifes painted in close succession that features the same fruit bowl. Although each is rendered in a different manner, his emblematic treatment of form and muted colour scheme is visible in each one.
The painting at hand was described by the artist’s wife as the masculine version of this singular theme. All non-essential detail is purposefully disregarded to concentrate on pure form. Perspective is flattened and therefore the background takes on an almost equal role to the foreground. Even the jug, seen along the right-hand edge, starts to merge into the background.