United States

Brookes’s body of work mostly consists of the still lifes of game and fish for which he became well known and quite successful. The artist gave serious attention and rendered with painstaking skill the features of his captured animals. In this work, the small variations of color in the underside of the birds’ wings are particularly delicate, and the formality of the composition, with its classical oval backboard, gives the subject a timeless quality.

Brookes’s body of work mostly consists of the still lifes of game and fish for which he became well known and quite successful. The artist gave serious attention and rendered with painstaking skill the features of his captured animals. In this work, the small variations of color in the underside of the birds’ wings are particularly delicate, and the formality of the composition, with its classical oval backboard, gives the subject a timeless quality.

The foods in this painting—grape juice and bologna sandwiches—are shown as special things. They are, in fact, a meal from the homeless shelter that Ligare helped establish in Salinas, California. In ancient Greece, xenia described the guest-friend relationship. In 2012, Ligare wrote, “In my case, the bread and sandwiches depicted were exactly those served to homeless people in a soup kitchen where I volunteered in Salinas, California. They were literally xenia, or food gifts for strangers.”

The foods in this painting—grape juice and bologna sandwiches—are shown as special things. They are, in fact, a meal from the homeless shelter that Ligare helped establish in Salinas, California. In ancient Greece, xenia described the guest-friend relationship. In 2012, Ligare wrote, “In my case, the bread and sandwiches depicted were exactly those served to homeless people in a soup kitchen where I volunteered in Salinas, California. They were literally xenia, or food gifts for strangers.”

This painting originally found a home in a New York City saloon, where customers often debated which of the depicted objects were painted and which were actually real. Harnett’s popular pictures also hung in department stores and hotel lobbies, securing an artistic reputation for the painter beyond the walls of museums and galleries.

This painting originally found a home in a New York City saloon, where customers often debated which of the depicted objects were painted and which were actually real. Harnett’s popular pictures also hung in department stores and hotel lobbies, securing an artistic reputation for the painter beyond the walls of museums and galleries.

This picture demonstrates Peale’s mastery of representational painting. He captured the likeness of the blackberry, a notoriously wild plant that is difficult to tame, capturing each individual berry with exuberance and animation. He preserves the fruit in a fixed state, so that its perfection will endure long after its model has withered.

This picture demonstrates Peale’s mastery of representational painting. He captured the likeness of the blackberry, a notoriously wild plant that is difficult to tame, capturing each individual berry with exuberance and animation. He preserves the fruit in a fixed state, so that its perfection will endure long after its model has withered.

In this still life, the artist shows an apple tree’s leaves and stems in every stage from freshness to decay, prompting the viewer to think about the cycle of life and death. The darkened leaves and stems contrast with the round, bright apples, which seem even more tempting and delicious by comparison.

In this still life, the artist shows an apple tree’s leaves and stems in every stage from freshness to decay, prompting the viewer to think about the cycle of life and death. The darkened leaves and stems contrast with the round, bright apples, which seem even more tempting and delicious by comparison.