Apple Basket 1957

Frank Mason made this still life of apples with oil paint. It's like he set up a little stage, everything caught in a beam of light against the dark. You can see the making in the buttery strokes, especially in the highlights on the apples and that crumpled cloth. It’s not just about making things look real, but about the joy of pushing paint around. It’s a bit like Corot, but with apples! There’s a dark, almost spooky background, and then this intimate spotlight on the mundane. The apples are so round and glossy, and the basket is very present. Like a solid form made of real woven material. It’s a funny contrast, and it gives the painting this weird, melancholic vibe, like a memento mori that you can snack on.