Apple Basket 1957

Frank Mason has arranged an apple basket, some apples, and some cloth, and then captured them in oil paint. I wonder about the original set up, with all its muted tones. The darkness behind the table is pretty dominant, so maybe he was thinking about Caravaggio or some other old master. I can see him there in his studio, adjusting his easel, stepping back, then moving in close again with his brush. Look at how the white cloth folds—it’s almost sculptural, the thick paint catching the light. And those apples! They’re so round and shiny; he’s really nailed that apple-ness. Painting still life is hard, and there's a history to it, an ongoing conversation between artists across time. The way Mason has rendered this scene feels contemporary, but it also fits into a lineage of painters who are interested in depicting ordinary life. In a way, every painting is still life painting, or has the potential to be.