A Study On The Artistic Language Of Nicholson’s Still-Life Painting

British painter William Nicholson (1872-1949) blended in his art the main features of traditional figurative painting. His deep awareness of figure, colour, texture, light, shadow and inspirational content, as well as his deliberate composition of the space, gave shape to a unique form of expression which accurately manifests the characteristics of his emotions and the quality of his pursuits while revealing also the spirit of his age. Although Nicholson’s paintings are conceived as succinct compositions, they contain deep meanings. He does not abandon the meticulous observation of reality; in fact, he emphasises many of its objective aspects, like its characteristics, quality and materiality. At the same time, with a conscious use of the language of art, Nicholson typically goes beyond the mere recording of actual objects and aims at expressing in an integrated fashion both images and experiences of reality through ingenious and appropriate compositions.This thesis presents a comprehensive study on Nicholson’s still-life paintings considered mainly from the perspective of his usage of figurative language. It analyses the establishment of order and space in his paintings and interprets the linguistic features and image quality in his works. Moreover, it expounds how, based on Western painting tradition, Nicholson created his personal style by undertaking a journey of effective artistic exploration. As far as our own creative practice is concerned, this study emphasises the importance of knowing and understanding the basic relation between traditional methods and the demands of our times, and the importance of pointing out and promoting observation and expressivity.