Still life with green apples and pears 1948

Forrest Bess made this still life of green apples and pears in 1948, and the first thing I notice is its bright, clashing colors and almost clumsy brushwork, like a kid who's just discovered the joy of smearing paint around. You can almost feel Bess wrestling with the paint, trying to get it just right. Looking closer, you can see the textures. The yellow background looks like it was applied with a palette knife, thick and uneven, while the fruit has softer, more blended strokes. See that little dab of red in the top left corner? It's like a spark, adding a jolt of energy to the composition. It's as though Bess is saying, "Here, look at these everyday objects, but see them in a new, strange way." Bess reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley, another artist who embraced a kind of raw, untamed expression. Both artists seem to be searching for something beyond the surface, using paint as a way to explore the mysteries of life. And isn't that what art is all about, embracing the unknown and finding beauty in the unexpected?