René Gaffé, Paris
Sam Salz, New York
A gift from the above in 1952

The panel is sound. The surface of the work is slightly dirty. There are a few pin head sized areas of inpainting in the upper right corner which fluoresce under ultra violet light. Overall, this work is in very good condition.
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Braque is considered one of the four principal artists of the Cubist era, along with Picasso, Gris and Léger, yet his bold compositions are highly individual in character. Many of his paintings were inspired by the works of Cézanne, whose tendency to incorporate overlapping planes and angles into his still lifes is echoed by Braque in the present work. Braque’s ability to define the spatial relationships of his planes using tonal variation resulted in an overall sense of unity in his compositions. 

The still life was a theme to which Braque returned consistently throughout his long and productive career. In every phase, beginning with the Fauve period and culminating in the majestic interiors of his last years, he found the arr𝔍angement of objects on a table or in an interior to be the most appropriate subject for his investigations of the formal and tactile qualities of painting. In the decades following the invention of Cubism, Braque continued to refine and re-examine the expressive possibilities of his still lifes, always&🐻nbsp;creating innovative ways to represent common objects.

Completed circa 1928 in the midst of the Surrealist movement, this dynamic still lif💯e epitomizes the "transparent" aesthetic that would define Braque's work for the next decade. Elements of the composition overlap with varying degrees of transparency, creating an illusion of recession and depth. The dimensionality of the picture is further enhanced by Braque's inventive choice of media. He creates a rich topography across the surface of the canvas by mixing his oil paint with sand, adding texture and physical dimensionality. 

Though perhaps inspired to pursue a more linear approach by Picasso’s work of 1928-29, Braque developed a looping and flowing form of drawing, exhibited to superb effect in Femme à la guitare, that was his alone. Th꧃is combination of fluid line and balanced planes of earth tones results in an enchantingly harmonious composition.