Adele Wagstaff
The still-life paintings of Morandi, Craigie Aitchison, Euan Uglow and William Nicholson have always inspired me, in particular the beautiful quietness and seeming simplicity of their compositions. These paintings are mostly small in scale and have an intimacy and almost meditative quality. It is how these particular artists have described and used the space around their subjects that makes them particularly exciting. Craigie Aitchison’s many still lifes are paintings of poetic economy and beauty. He was a huge admirer of Morandi, whose influence can be seen in the way his objects are positioned, with a large proportion of space around them.
Francisco de Zurbarán achieved a powerful devotional element in his exquisitely painted still lifes. His beautiful small painting A Cup of Water and a Rose is one I always visit when in the National Gallery, London. The delicate pinks reflected in the pewter surface are sublime.