Still Life by James Peale

DESCRIBE:
Obvious recognizable objects: grapes, leaves, pears, apples
Shapes: mostly circles
Texture: clean, looks like you can reach out and grab the objects in the photo, the texture of the leaves make them look real
Color: the background and the leaves are dark but everything else is light and airy
The shapes are very basic.
ANALYZE:
The dark background balances out the light color of the grapes and apples.
The fruits are repeated many times.
The green grapes dominate the photo because they are fun to look at, they are repeating, and draw your eye in. They are the focal point.
The bowl is hidden and doesn't bring your eye in because the the fruit is covering it.
The background is negative.
It is static because it is still life.
The painting is asymmetrical because the middle, which is busy, is balanced out by the sides.
The grapes and the leves add visual interest because of color, shape and that they are repetitive.
INTERPRET:
This artwork reflects the neoclassical period because this is what their fruit baskets looked like.
I don't think there is a true meaning to this artwork. I think it is just a still life of something James Peale saw during his lifetime.




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