Ben Nicholson began this still life in 1929 but returned to it in 1935, by which time he had embraced a more rigorous geometric abstraction. He scraped down the canvas until all that remained were the outlines of the original forms. He then re-created the image, this time with no concern for actual appearances, turning it instead into a pared-down, abstracted version of its former self. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
