The horizontally oriented painting depicts a still life composed of two bottles, a jug, a glass, a pipe, and a newspaper. We view the composition from the front, slightly from above. The objects are arranged on a dark wooden tabletop. The background is light grey and contrasts with the dark surface. It is irregular, covered with freely applied patches of paint. Brushstrokes are visible, often broad and dynamic. The color palette is limited. The overall tone is dark. Black, browns, and greys dominate, with only a few bright accents. Light falls from the left, slightly from above. Although the painting is executed expressively, with sweeping brushstrokes, the depicted objects are easy to recognize. The objects are simplified but identifiable, outlined clearly, with strong contrast between light and dark areas. Shadows are rendered with broad, dark patches. Details are not precisely defined.

The two glass bottles are dark green, almost black, and are positioned on the left side, close to the edge. Their height reaches about two-thirds of the painting’s total height. The first bottle, closer to the viewer, has a dark red cork. The second one is slightly behind it and has a bright yellow cork. Opposite the bottles, closer to the viewer, lies a pipe placed horizontally. It is small, with a light-colored bowl and a long, greenish mouthpiece on the right side.

Next to the bottles, closer to the center, stands a jug. It reaches slightly more than half the height of the bottles. It has a rounded bottom, a slimmer neck, and a handle on the right side. The jug is grey with rounded white stripes. Next to the jug, on the right, there is a thick glass goblet. It is roughly the same size as the jug. The bowl—the upper part of the glass—narrows toward the bottom. It features decorative indentations in the form of vertical bands running through the middle. Highlights on the glass are painted with white paint.

In front of the glass, slightly to the right of the center of the composition, lies a folded newspaper. Only two pages are visible. The upper part of the newspaper is tilted clearly forward. On it there is a large black inscription: “Oeuvre Lindbergh.” The inscription refers to Charles Lindbergh, the American pilot and aviation pioneer who, in 1927, completed the first solo transatlantic flight.

In the lower left corner is the artist’s signature: Vlaminck. The signature is written in thick lettering painted in black.

Maurice de Vlaminck was one of the leading representatives of Fauvism and Expressionism. Still Life with Bottles and Pipe is an example of his later work, which focused on still lifes and landscapes inspired by the paintings of the old masters. The painting also reflects the artist’s fascination with Cubism and with painters such as Cézanne, which is evident in the simplified shapes of the objects.

Audio description: Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol