Still Life (Centrifugal Expansion of Colors)

Still Life (Centrifugal Expansion of Colors) showcases Gino Severini’s innovative approach to fusing two media: painting and photography. The lively composition features a black-and-white portrait of the artist’s wife, Jeanne Severini, in the upper right. Painted to replicate the effect of photography, the portrait appears to be collaged onto the surface of the work. Fittingly, this painting was first exhibited by photographer Alfred Stieglitz, in 1917, at his gallery 291, a space dedicated to introducing avant-garde European artists to an American audience.