Still Life, c. 1905-07 marks a pivotal moment in Alfred Maurer’s life, reflecting his experimental years in Paris. During this period, he began to move away from realism, exploring abstraction and the vibrant, emotive colours of early Fauvism. The influence of European modernists, particularly Cézanne and Matisse, is evident in his bold palette and loose, expressive brushwork.

Though not entirely abstract, the painting embraces a withdrawal from traditional representation. A vase, curiously lit from multiple angles, holds wilting flowers that droop and shed petals onto the table beneath, a sign of a truly loved bouquet. The ambiguous setting that is stripped of background detail, adds to the work’s introspective and slightly mysterious mood.

Set in an ornate gilt frame with an elegant plaque, this oil painting stands as a monument to Maurer’s stylistic shift - from academic realism to a modernist vision shaped by the dynamic art scene of early 20th-century Paris. It demonstrates the point at which European creativity was reimagined through an American lens.