Artwork
Flowers and fruit
Flowers and fruit is an oil painting by the Realist artist William Hammer. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1852, *Flowers and Fruit* is an oil painting by Danish artist William Hammer. Executed within the Realist tradition, the work presents a carefully arranged still‑life composition that emphasizes ordinary, natural objects. The piece belongs to the permanent collection of Denmark’s National Gallery, Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is displayed among other 19th‑century works.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas foregrounds a cluster of delicate blossoms in shades of white and pink, while a modest assortment of yellow and green fruit recedes behind them. By juxtaposing the transient softness of flowers with the more enduring, fleshy fruit, Hammer underscores the fleeting beauty of nature and the quiet dignity of everyday material forms.
Technique & Style
Hammer employed oil pigments to achieve a luminous surface, allowing colors to appear saturated and tactile. Visible brushwork and subtle glazing layers give the petals and skins a sense of depth and texture, while the overall composition adheres to Realist principles of precise observation and faithful rendering of light on varied surfaces.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it has remained part of the institution’s representation of mid‑19th‑century Danish art. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to preserving works that illustrate the development of Realist still‑life painting in Scandinavia.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Hammer (31 July 1821 – 9 May 1889) was a Danish artist who specialized in painting still lifes of flowers and fruits.
