plate no. 9741

Still Life Filled with Space

Le Corbusier, 1924

oilCubismstill lifestill lifetableobjectsgeometric shapesbottlevessel

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students understand color mixing to achieve muted tones and practice simplifying complex forms into basic geometric shapes. It also encourages careful observation of spatial relationships and overlapping forms.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and composition, focusing on the overlapping forms.
step 02
Divide the background into the two distinct color fields (blue and pink).
step 03
Block in the larger shapes of the objects with their base colors.
step 04
Begin refining the shapes and adding subtle variations in color and value.
step 05
Pay attention to the edges where shapes overlap, creating depth.
step 06
Add the small details like the circles and lines.
step 07
Check for accuracy of proportions and color relationships.
step 08
Add final touches and highlights.

color palette

primary · light blue · gray · brown · pink

secondary · dark blue · light green · red-brown

Achieve the muted tones by mixing primary colors with white and gray. Use small amounts of complementary colors to dull down the intensity of the colors.

techniques