Nicolas de Staël was a French painter of Russian origin, renowned for bridging the gap between abstraction and figuration in postwar European art. 

De Staël’s work is characterized by thick, impasto paint, bold blocks of color, and a strong sense of structure. Rather than choosing pure abstraction or strict realism, he developed a unique visual language in which landscapes, still lifes, and figures are reduced to simplified forms while remaining emotionally and visually recognizable. His paintings convey a powerful sense of weight, light, and silence, often evoking strong emotional responses.