Still Life_ Basket with Fruit on a Table in front of a Curtain and Wallpaper 1909

Ottilie W. Roederstein made this still life with oil on canvas; you can see an intimate domestic scene with a basket of fruit. I can imagine her setting up this little world in her studio, arranging the fruit just so, and thinking about the way the light catches the curves of the fruit. There’s something so human about still life. I think she was interested in these formal arrangements and color relationships. Look at the backdrop, that wallpaper is very vibrant and painterly, it almost competes with the fruit. Ottilie’s brushstrokes capture the texture of the fruit skins and the woven basket. Painters are always looking at each other’s work, borrowing ideas, and pushing them further. If you look at other still life painters, like Manet, you can really see how they’re all talking to each other across time. Roederstein is very much part of this conversation and her work is a testament to the ongoing, ever-evolving nature of art.