Still life with fruit 1997

Mary Fedden created this still life with fruit in oil paint. The composition is simple, you know? A bowl of fruit, a melon cut in half, a couple of pears, and some apples, all sitting in front of a window. Looking at it, I feel like she’s thinking about more than just what’s in front of her. The sun, or maybe a moon, glows, and everything radiates outwards, the composition feels like a kind of radiating energy. The colors are muted but joyful, with a kind of inner glow. The way she painted the fruit, especially that melon, makes me think about Chardin, or maybe even Cezanne, but with a feminine touch. The table almost feels like a stage. A stage for color, for light, for life. Do you see that melon? It’s asking you to imagine biting into it! You know, when you look at work like this, you can feel the artist pushing paint around, and it’s just so charming.