Artwork
Still Life with Apples and Violets
Still Life with Apples and Violets is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Paul Sérusier. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Norton Simon Museum.
About this work
Overview
Paul Sérusier’s 1896 oil painting titled *Still Life with Apples and Violets* presents a modest arrangement of fruit and flowers set upon a table draped in a blue cloth. The composition is anchored by orange‑hued apples and a cluster of purple violets, rendered with a restrained palette that emphasizes tonal harmony over vivid contrast.
Subject & Meaning
The work focuses on everyday objects—a handful of apples and a small bouquet of violets—inviting contemplation of ordinary beauty. By juxtaposing the warm tones of the fruit with the cool blues of the linen and the delicate purples of the flowers, Sérusier creates a quiet dialogue between natural forms and the surrounding space.
Technique & Style
Sérusier employs visible brushwork and a muted color scheme, allowing the texture of the paint to contribute to the overall softness of the scene. The strokes are discernible yet controlled, lending the surface a tactile quality that softens the edges of the forms while preserving their recognizable outlines.
History & Provenance
Completed in the late nineteenth century, the painting entered the collection of the Norton Simon Museum, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in late‑19th‑century French painting and provides a representative example of Sérusier’s still‑life output during that period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Sérusier was a French painter who was a pioneer of abstract art and an inspiration for the avant-garde Nabis movement, Synthetism and Cloisonnism.
