If you’ve taken a general art history class, when you encounter Picasso’s good chum George Braque, you’ll likely see a painting of his like this one:

“Violin and Candlestick” is from 1910 and it shows the grey, black, and general drab that Braque is best known for. It’s brilliant, but not totally representative of his style.

So yesterday at The Met, I was pleasantly surprised to see Braque loosen his collar a bit and throw down some color in 1939:

This one is called “The Studio (Vase Before a Window).”

You still have all the cubist intricacies, but Braque (who was 57 at this point) plays around joyously with any colors he wishes. In person there’s a grainy appearance to the canvas and apparently that’s because Braque mixed oil and sand together.

How cool is that?

Next time you’re at The Met, treat yourself to Gallery 823 🙂