Still Life with Melon and Peaches

Manet painted Still Life with Melon and Peaches around 1866, during the years when he was establishing himself as the leader of the avant-garde in Paris. He was 34 years old, and had already painted The Luncheon on the Grass (1863) and Olympia (1863), the two works that had made him the most controversial painter in France. Still life was a secondary genre for Manet, but he returned to it throughout his career, using it as a space for experimentation with color and brushwork. The painting shows a table spread with a melon, peaches, a knife, and a white cloth. The melon is sliced open, its orange flesh visible against the green rind. The peaches are arranged in a cluster, their red and yellow skins catching the light. The knife lies at the edge of the table, its blade reflecting the white of the cloth. The composition is simple and direct, with the objects arranged in a loose pattern across the table. Manet's still lifes are among his most freely painted works. Where his figure paintings were carefully composed and often heavily reworked, his still lifes were painted quickly, with a directness that recalls the Dutch still life tradition but with a lighter, more modern touch. The brushwork is loose and confident, with the fruit described in a few quick strokes of color. The melon is painted in thick, opaque strokes of orange and green, with the flesh suggested by a single stroke of bright orange. The peaches are painted in strokes of red and yellow, with the highlights applied in pure white. Oil on canvas, 73 by 91 centimeters. Manet painted with a smooth, controlled touch, building the fruit in layers of warm and cool tones. The cloth is painted in broad, loose strokes of white and blue, with the folds suggested by the direction of the brushwork. The background is painted in thin, dark layers of brown and black, which give the painting a somber, enclosed quality. The surface has the fresh, worked quality of a painting made in a single sitting. The horizontal format and warm palette make this print work well in a kitchen, dining room, or any room with food or flowers. The oranges, reds, and greens pair with natural wood, white walls, and rooms with a rustic or traditional character. The 16x20 or 18x24 size gives the fruit room to read. The painting has a warm, domestic quality that suits rooms where people eat or gather. The painting entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington as a gift from Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer. This is a public domain artwork, from the National Gallery of Art, Washington. The image is released under Creative Commons Zero (CC0). We print it on archival matte paper at sizes from 8x10 to 18x24 inches, framed or unframed.