Artwork
Playing cards and sifon
Playing cards and sifon is an unspecified painting by the Cubism Synthetic artist Juan Gris. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum.
About this work
Overview
Juan Gris’s 1916 oil painting titled Playing cards and sifon presents a still‑life arrangement on a wooden tabletop. The composition gathers a deck of cards, a glass siphon, and an open journal, rendered with the characteristic flattened space of early Cubism. The work is part of the collection of the Kröller‑Müller Museum in the Netherlands.
Subject & Meaning
The objects, cards, a siphon, and a notebook, suggest a moment of leisure and contemplation, inviting viewers to consider the everyday rituals of play and writing. By juxtaposing these items, Gris creates a subtle narrative about the intersection of chance, measurement, and recorded thought, without overt symbolism, allowing the viewer to infer personal associations.
Technique & Style
Gris employs a muted palette of grays, browns, and blues, emphasizing tonal harmony over vivid color. Geometric fragmentation breaks the forms into interlocking planes, while multiple perspectives reveal different facets of each object. Delicate chiaroscuro modeling adds a modest sense of volume, and the textured brushwork conveys the tactile qualities of the cards and glass.
History & Provenance
Completed in the midst of World War I, the painting entered the Kröller‑Müller Museum’s holdings during the mid‑20th century, reflecting the museum’s focus on early 20th‑century modernism. Its acquisition history underscores the institution’s commitment to representing the development of Cubist practice beyond the Parisian core.
Context
Created during Gris’s mature phase, the work aligns with his exploration of synthetic Cubism, where everyday objects are rendered through simplified shapes and limited color. The inclusion of a siphon, a device for measuring liquids, mirrors the analytical precision that Cubist artists applied to visual analysis, linking the subject matter to the movement’s intellectual concerns.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
José Victoriano González-Pérez, better known as Juan Gris, was a Spanish painter born in Madrid who lived and worked in France for most of his active period.
