Emil Filla (1882–1953) Still Life with Clarinet and Pipe

The presented work dates from the period following Emil Filla’s return to Prague from exile in the Netherlands in 1920, when he entered an exceptionally productive phase in which he continued to develop his own interpretation of Cubism. Around the mid-1920s, his artistic language gradually evolved: the firm Cubist structure was enriched by bolder colours, greater sensuality and an increasingly emphatic treatment of the material qualities of paint.

Still Life with Clarinet and Pipe, dating from 1927, was created at a time when this synthetic approach had reached one of its high points and was beginning to move towards a freer, more lyrical expression. The distinctive elongated format, which in Filla’s oeuvre is associated primarily with his late landscapes of the Central Bohemian Uplands, allowed him to develop the still life in an almost panoramic manner, creating a complex yet perfectly balanced whole. The composition is governed by the horizontal line of a bright yellow wind instrument. Its direction is intersected by the vertical of a blue glass, which forms the painting’s firm central axis and divides the picture plane into several interconnected sections. Sheet music unfolds on the left, while the right-hand side is occupied by a shell containing a pipe. The individual objects are not merely props but engage in a lively rhythmic interplay, in which the musical motif becomes intertwined with the intimate world of the artist’s studio.

The work’s exceptional impact is enhanced by its colour scheme. The instrument’s brilliant yellow, the cool blue tones and the light areas of the sheet music stand out against a muted brown ground, creating a harmonious yet vibrant contrast. Equally important is the paint itself, in places enriched with sand and applied in such thick layers that the surface takes on the character of a low relief. Filla thus combined visual perception with the tactile qualities of the work, transforming the picture plane into a physically tangible structure.

Through its sophisticated composition, rich texture and exceptionally fresh painterly execution, the painting ranks among the most remarkable of Filla’s still lifes from the second half of the 1920s. The work was included in the exhibition Emil Filla ze soukromých sbírek, held at Galerie KODL in Prague in 2026 (24 June – 21 August 2026, cat. No. 29), and reproduced on p. 91 of the accompanying catalogue. The authenticity has been verified by the Filla Foundation, and the painting is included in its online catalogue raisonné. Tastefully framed. The work was assessed during consultations with Prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. K. Srp. An expert opinion by Mgr. T. Mátl Donné is attached.