Dasburg, Andrew (American, 1887-1979) 3 American artists

The composition presents a still life arrangement centered around a bowl filled with fruit. The subject matter is rendered in a style characterized by simplified forms and bold color choices. Here we see several apples, varying in hue from yellow-orange to green, nestled within a shallow, white dish. The bowl rests upon what appears to be a patterned tablecloth or surface, which itself sits atop a dark, horizontal plane suggesting a table or ledge.
The artist employed a limited palette dominated by yellows, greens, and oranges for the fruit, contrasted against the cooler tones of the background and the black outline of the dish. The application of paint is deliberate; short, parallel strokes create texture and define form, particularly noticeable in the rendering of the apples’ surfaces and the tablecloths pattern. These marks contribute to a sense of dynamism despite the static nature of the subject.
The background is not depicted with realistic detail but rather as an abstract arrangement of vertical and horizontal lines, primarily in shades of pink and gray. This treatment serves to flatten the pictorial space and direct attention towards the fruit. The overall effect is one of controlled simplicity, where the emphasis lies on color relationships and formal structure rather than representational accuracy.
Subtly, the painting evokes a sense of abundance and domesticity through its subject matter. However, the stylized rendering and flattened perspective introduce an element of detachment, suggesting that the work may be less about celebrating the fruit itself and more about exploring the visual qualities of color, form, and composition. The deliberate reduction of detail could also imply a meditation on essential forms or a symbolic representation of nourishment and sustenance stripped down to its basic elements.