Cherries - Auguste Herbin

A still life by French artist Auguste Herbin, 'Cherries' features baskets and bowls of fruit set against a simplified landscape. The painting's bold colours and geometric forms are characteristic of Herbin's Cubist style.

Auguste Herbin (1882-1960) was a French painter known for his contributions to Cubism and abstract art. Although he experimented with Fauvism early in his career, he later embraced Cubism, developing a distinctive style characterised by simplified forms and bold colours. His work evolved into geometric abstraction, where he explored the relationships between shapes and colours. He was a founding member of the group Abstraction-Création, which promoted non-figurative art in the 1930s. Herbin's later work focused on an abstract alphabet, using geometric shapes to represent letters and create visual poems. His theories influenced post-war abstraction. 'Cherries' presents a still life set against a distant, simplified landscape. The foreground features baskets and bowls overflowing with cherries, rendered in a palette of reds, oranges, and yellows. These are contrasted by the cool whites of the porcelain vessels and the deep greens of the surrounding foliage. The background shows a rural scene with buildings and fields, depicted in a similarly simplified, geometric style. The composition is carefully balanced, with the arrangement of objects creating a sense of depth and visual harmony. The painting's flat planes and bold colours are typical of Herbin's Cubist-influenced style.