La fenêtre ouverte (Open Window)
Juan Gris (José Victoriano González Pérez)
- Date:1921 (January-March)
- Technique:Oil on canvas
- Dimensions:66 x 100 cm
- Category: Painting
- Entry date:1999
- Register number:AD01033
- On display in:
In 1920 Juan Gris moved to the coastal town of Bandol-sur-Mer, where in 1921 he did most of the paintings in his “open window” series. The painter would complete the series with a few paintings done some months later in Céret. At that point, then, the group can be considered closed, although Juan Gris was to return to the subject from time to time in later years.
Although the authorship of this iconographic model lies entirely with Juan Gris, it should not be forgotten that the open-window theme had already captured the interest of several of the artist’s contemporaries, such as Delaunay and Matisse, although their approach was conceptually very different. Analysing the compositions of some of these other artists, one arrives at the conclusion that, like Juan Gris’ works, these are paintings that somehow manage to bring in the atmosphere outside the enclosing frame of the picture. However – and this is where there is a difference in Juan Gris’ favour – in none of the compositions has any attempt been made to establish a link between the exterior and the interior; the two spaces are far from being given equal attention, as it is very obvious that it is the view outside the window that is the true protagonist, taking over the totality of the space.
Paloma Esteban Leal