Pergola with Oranges c. 1834

Thomas Fearnley painted *Pergola with Oranges* using oil on canvas. This choice of materials tells us that Fearnley was working within a fine art tradition, rather than embracing the everyday materials of modern life. Yet the painting itself, with its warm palette and careful attention to the play of light on stone and foliage, invites us to consider the material qualities of the scene depicted. The rough texture of the aged brickwork, the smooth surfaces of the stone columns, the juicy, ripe oranges – all rendered with a tangible realism. Fearnley shows the classical architecture with a certain patina of age, and focuses on the relationship between the built environment and nature, with the orange trees in full fruit. The human figure is incidental to the composition as a whole. In this way, the artist elevates the crafts of gardening and masonry, making them as worthy of our attention as any grand historical subject.