Still Life with Chinese Melon 1987

Louisa Matthiasdottir created this still life painting with striking color juxtapositions. Born in Iceland in 1917, Matthiasdottir emigrated to the United States, where she developed her distinctive style of painting everyday objects. Here, apples, avocados, and melon are placed on a table, draped with a wrinkled white cloth. The shapes are solid, brought to life by the contrast of the red fruit with green ones, all set against a muted background. There’s an element of playfulness and subversion in her paintings. A female artist painting in the mid-20th century, Matthiasdottir’s choice of the still life, a traditional genre, provided the means to make innovative use of domestic space. This painting reflects the artist's personal history and her negotiation of identity as an immigrant woman. It captures a sense of familiarity and warmth through her unique vision.