Nature morte aux oursins et coquillages

Reading the work

Sea urchins with their radiating spines, shells and two slender fish rest on crumpled cloth, with folded paper suggested in the background. The composition thrives on contrasts of texture: the fine needles of the urchins, the smooth white of the shells, the heavy fall of the linen. Cottet uses a dense, shifting hatch to render every surface tangible – an exercise in observational precision, faithful to the tradition of the marine still life.