Still Life with Plums 

Louise Moillon’s ‘Still Life with Plums’ is a feast for the eyes, rendered with oil on canvas. Immediately striking is the almost palpable texture she achieves. The plums, cool with a powdery bloom, contrast with the rough weave of the basket, a testament to Moillon’s technical skill. Consider how Moillon uses composition to construct meaning. The basket, overflowing with fruit, and the carefully arranged pears and nuts offer a sense of abundance, and the artist deliberately destabilises any fixed meaning of luxury or excess by including the decaying nuts. The painting, though seemingly simple, is a complex interplay of visual elements. The contrast between the ephemeral beauty of the fruit and the understated presentation, asks us to contemplate the relationship between desire and decay, opulence and simplicity. It reminds us that art is not just about what we see but how we interpret it.