Still life with bananas, jar and cashews 1870 

This is Francisco Oller’s “Still Life with Bananas, Jar and Cashews,” painted around 1870. Notice the composition, how Oller uses ordinary objects to create a study in contrasts. The cool blues of the background, the crisp white linen, and the clear glass of the water pitcher all set off the warm yellows and browns of the fruit. The items are arranged to create visual tension: the bananas are grouped tightly together, their curved forms contrasting with the angular cashew fruits. Oller was deeply engaged with the idea of realism, a movement focused on depicting subjects as they appear in life. Yet his arrangement also explores the symbolic potential of the objects, a formal study in light, texture and composition. The simple arrangement creates an aesthetic experience rooted in Oller’s cultural and historical context. The viewer is invited to find new relationships between representation, perception, and meaning.