Still Life with Rayfish

About this work

A dead rayfish hangs upside-down, its belly split open and guts spilling out. A dented kettle sits below, as if trying to look away. The colors are thick and messy—reds, whites, and sickly yellows. Soutine painted this in Paris, far from his childhood in Russia. He often chose animals after slaughter, not flowers or fruit. The fish isn’t just food; it looks like it’s in pain. Some say it reflects his own struggles, but no one knows for sure. If you like this, look up impasto—the way he slathered paint on thick, like butter.