The artwork, titled “Still Life,” was created by Henri Fantin-Latour in the year 1869. This masterpiece, executed with oil on canvas, is an exemplary piece of the Realism movement, specifically within the still life genre. Currently, the artwork belongs to a private collection.
The artwork depicts a solitary slice of melon placed atop a white cloth. The melon, with its rich, warm hues of amber and green, stands out starkly against a dark, unembellished background, which enhances its presence and the texture of the fruit’s flesh and rind. The white cloth, rendered with delicate brushwork, adds a serene contrast to the vivid colors of the melon. The overall composition of the artwork reflects Fantin-Latour’s meticulous attention to the play of light, shadow, and texture, capturing everyday objects with an extraordinary realism and sensitivity.
