Still Life with Lobster, 1928

Motivically, Gerhart Frankl (1901–1965) chooses the classic subject of a table with seafood and fruit for a still life. The uncanny atmosphere also makes Still Life with Lobster of 1928 come close to Baroque models and works of the old masters. Aside from Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), it was they as well as the work of his private teacher Anton Kolig (1886–1950) that influenced him in his artistic development and the elaboration of his style. Table, room, and porcelain in different shades of gray construct planes and geometric shapes. A scarlet-red lobster dominates the center of the picture, breaking, in conjunction with the arranged intensely yellow lemons, through the otherwise somber coloration. Lying on a plate behind it are two fish, and in a bowl next to them, there is a white pipe that looks a little out of place.

RR, 2021