Peaches in a Bowl 1894

Henri Fantin-Latour painted this still life of peaches in a bowl with oil on canvas. Fantin-Latour was working in 19th century France, a time of significant social change where artists started to move away from traditional academic painting. Though he painted in the era of impressionism, Fantin-Latour preferred a more realist style. With this lens, it is interesting to consider what the humble subject matter of peaches in a bowl may represent. In a society undergoing rapid industrialization, there was a growing nostalgia for the simplicity of nature and the agrarian life. The choice of ripe, luscious peaches, carefully arranged in a bowl, speaks to the sensuousness of the natural world. The painting can be viewed as a celebration of the domestic and a reflection of bourgeois values. Fantin-Latour’s work invites us to consider our relationship with nature, domesticity, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.