Artwork
Still Life with a Basket of Apples and Two Pumpkins
Still Life with a Basket of Apples and Two Pumpkins is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum.
About this work
Overview
Vincent van Gogh’s 1893 oil painting titled *Still Life with a Basket of Apples and Two Pumpkins* presents a modest arrangement of fruit on a simple surface. The composition centers on a basket filled with apples, flanked by two pumpkins, all rendered in a restrained palette of browns, greens and yellows. The work is part of the collection of the Kröller‑Müller Museum in the Netherlands.
Subject & Meaning
The painting focuses on everyday objects—a basket, apples, and pumpkins—captured in a quiet domestic setting. By isolating these items, van Gogh emphasizes their material presence and the simple beauty of ordinary produce, inviting contemplation of form and the quiet rhythms of daily life.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the work employs a muted colour scheme that enhances the subtle tonal variations of the scene. Van Gogh’s handling of light and shadow creates a chiaroscuro effect, giving the fruit a palpable volume and a sense of three‑dimensional space. The brushwork remains controlled, allowing texture to emerge in the skin of the pumpkins and the woven basket.
History & Provenance
Created in 1893 during van Gogh’s later period, the painting eventually entered the collection of the Kröller‑Müller Museum, a major repository of the artist’s work. Its presence there reflects the museum’s focus on early modern Dutch art and its commitment to preserving van Gogh’s lesser‑known still‑life oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art.
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