Abstract still lifes play a prominent role in Françoise Gilot's painting. The composition of ‘Constructivist Still Life’ is typical of this period in Gilot's oeuvre. As the title suggests, she constructs the 'still life' in a manner typical of Constructivism, searching for the relationship between shapes, forms and planes, working on these compositions at length using deliberate pencil lines to find a balance. The table, the wall, the objects depicted, create separate planes set apart by bars of colour. The curved lines of the objects contrast with the straight surfaces of the table and wall. The elegant, restrained use of colour helps to reveal the tension of the construction. Deciphering the abstract forms, carefully and harmoniously wrapped up by Gilot, affords the viewer a unique experience by way of interpretation and understanding.