Still Life, Basket of Apples 1887

Editor: This is Van Gogh’s "Still Life, Basket of Apples" from 1887, rendered in oil paint. The textures feel so immediate, so physical. What’s your take on the materiality here? Curator: Absolutely, focus on the materiality! Look at those thick impasto strokes. Each dab of paint signifies the physical act, the labor of applying pigment. And beyond that labor, consider the apples themselves. They’re presented almost as raw material. Editor: Raw material? In what sense? Curator: Think about what these apples represented to the working class at the time: sustenance, potential commerce. They were grown and harvested and sold. The basket itself, also meticulously rendered, signifies a human-made container intended to store, transport and sell this sustenance. Van Gogh transforms mundane objects into tangible evidence of economic reality and social interaction. Are those elements that immediately jump out for you when considering a "still life"? Editor: Not usually, I have to admit. I'm struck by the distortion and the use of color. Curator: Right, but aren’t those elements ALSO part of the material process? The grinding and mixing of pigments, his decision to depict in such a way... these are choices reflecting a broader societal context and market expectations as well as Van Gogh’s personal experience. Editor: That’s a compelling argument. Considering the materials in that broader economic context really does reframe the entire experience of looking at this "simple" still life. Curator: Exactly!