Stilleven met schalen en fruit bij een nis 1834 - 1906

This pencil drawing of fruit in bowls, "Stilleven met schalen en fruit bij een nis", was made by Maria Vos sometime in the 19th century. Still life paintings were very popular in the Netherlands at this time, because they were commissioned by the rising middle class to show off the abundance of their homes. Vos lived at a time when women artists struggled to gain recognition in the art world. Still life was considered to be one of the genres that was most acceptable for women artists to work in. She was also the only woman to be admitted to the Pulchri Studio, an important artistic society based in The Hague. Looking closely at the drawing, we can see how Vos uses light and shadow to create a sense of depth and texture. Her choice of everyday objects suggests that the painting may also be making a comment on the Dutch values of hard work and simple living. To gain a deeper understanding of the painting, further research would be needed into the artist's biography and the cultural context in which she was working.