Arcadópolis
Fruit Still Life
Robert S. Duncanson, c. 1849
What you see
A beige niche with a rounded arch and a dark brown back frames the whole scene. On a ledge covered with a cloth, the fruit piles up in and around the bowl, forming a low pyramid that stretches from side to side. A large red-and-yellow apple on the right balances the dark bunches of grapes on the left.
Light comes from the left and makes the skins glow: reds, yellows, pinks and purples stand out against the somber background. Green leaves peek out from behind. Spot the weave of the canvas showing through the pale edge of the niche, and the thin blue stripes on the cloth.
About Robert S. Duncanson
Robert Duncanson was born free in New York State and built his career in Cincinnati, becoming the best-known African American painter in the United States around the time of the Civil War. Backed by abolitionist patrons, he painted serene landscapes in the manner of the Hudson River School, travelled to Italy and Scotland, and spent part of the war in Canada. He was one of the first African American artists to win international acclaim, and in 2021 his “Landscape with Rainbow” was displayed at the Capitol for the presidential inauguration.
More by Robert S. Duncanson
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