José Victoriano González better known as Juan Gris (1887 - 1927), was an Spanish cubist painter and sculptor. His works are mainly portraits, still-life oils, and collages, composed of simple forms. Gris was an important pioneer in synthetic cubism.
At first Gris painted in the analytic style of Cubism, but after 1913 he began his conversion to synthetic Cubism, of which he became a steadfast interpreter. Unlike Picasso and Braque, whose Cubist works were monochromatic, Gris painted with bright harmonious colors in daring, novel combinations in the manner of his friend Henri Matisse. (by Ras Marley)
Gris died at age 40. Gertrude Stein said that for him still-life was a religion.