MAURICE DE VLAMINCK (PARIS, 1876 – RUEIL-LA-GADELIÈRE, 1952) Still Life 1912 Oil on canvas 55 x 61 cm Signed top left This still life from 1912 belongs to Maurice de Vlaminck’s Cézanne-inspired period, a key moment in his career when he combined the vigour of his Fauvist brushwork with a more solid and considered composition. On a table, the artist has arranged a fruit bowl overflowing with red and green fruit, accompanied by a dark coffee pot and a bowl, in a composition that is both simple and monumental. The composition, balanced and structured, clearly reveals the influence of Cézanne, whom Vlaminck admired and whose rigour of form and quest for permanence he adopted. But beyond this connection, the artist’s full personality shines through: a dense impasto, an energetic brushstroke, and a vibrant palette where warm colours contrast with duller, more sombre backgrounds. The effect is powerful and vivid, transforming a classical subject into a modern, almost architectural vision. This painting exudes an impression of quiet strength. The fruit seems to pulsate with light, the coffee pot stands out as a dark focal point, and the whole exudes a poetic intensity. It bears witness to that rare moment when Vlaminck, whilst paying homage to Cézanne, asserted his own personal style, characterised by spontaneity, warmth and vigour.