Cotán's stark still-lifes with their dark background, and geometric flair are almost sculptures. The foods are distinct; they do not even touch at the edges; and their is no apparent connection between them besides their shapes. They are naturalistic but they elevate the role of the "still life" genre to more than just a pretty arrangement.
They also look forward to the Cézanne's proto-cubist apples precariously and awkwardly posed on surfaces that they seem to be continuously rolling off of. And since Cotán was a recognized Spanish master (1560-1627) there is no doubt that Picasso was intimately familiar with his work.
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