The Coffee Mill
The Coffee Mill (1916) is an example of Synthetic Cubism, a late phase of Cubism that was a result of artistic experiments by Gris, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque. Gris fully devoted himself to painting in 1911, intending to develop his unique Cubist style. A close friend of Picasso, Gris followed his and Braque’s example and began making collages in 1913. This was also a particularly significant period for Gris since it is generally acknowledged that he produced his best work between 1913 and 1918. The experiments with collage and, in particular, papier collé (cut and pasted paper) were crucial to the development of Synthetic Cubism. While the focus of the earlier Analytical Cubism was to represent a single object from different points of view and create a fragmented image, Synthetic Cubism emphasized the flat qualities of the image and eliminated the illusion of three-dimensional space. In the context of Synthetic Cubism, Gris was known for his theoretical approach and inclination towards the conceptual aspects of Cubism.
These aspects are embodied in the precisely structured forms and the architectural composition of The Coffee Mill. Painted in May 1916, it depicts a coffee mill, a bottle, and a wine glass on a table covered with a green cloth. The objects represented in the painting were probably present in the artist’s studio. This was a motif that appeared in many of his artworks, such as the sketch Still Life with Coffee Mill (1916) and the compositions Coffee Grinder, Cup and Glass on a Table (1915-1916), and Coffee Grinder and Glass (1915). The Coffee Mill is mainly composed of diagonals that offset each other: the mill and the bottle lean toward the right, while the table and the wall surface lean toward the left. Gris amplified this structure of diagonal movements with the curved shapes of the coffee mill and the bottle. Gris probably painted the image by manipulating the colors and shapes until they began to suggest the objects he depicted. In The Coffee Mill, Gris takes this process to the extreme: the objects are fragmented to the point that they become almost indecipherable. This demonstrates Gris’s shift toward a more conceptual approach: he was mainly interested in the formal structure of the painting and in emphasizing the flat quality of the surface.
At the same time, Gris wanted to express the sensuous qualities of painting: this was accomplished through the lush tones of red and green as well as the addition of texture through the simulated wood pattern. The addition of texture was likely influenced by collage, a technique that incorporated new materials like newspapers and wallpapers into artworks. In The Coffee Mill, the wood grain pattern on the coffee mill’s base might have been inspired by Picasso’s collage Guitar, Sheet music, and Wine glass (1912). Today, The Coffee Mill belongs to the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
