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Still Life with Watermelon

Still Life with Watermelon

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Severin Roesen

In the painting Still Life with Watermelon, Severin Roesen heaped on a marble slab grapes, peaches, strawberries, plums, lemons, a slice of watermelon, and an elegant glass of champagne. The illusion of perfection is heightened by the one blemish, the bug-eaten grape leaf. The effect is of incredible abundance, fruits which symbolized the richness and bounty of mid-19th century America. These luscious fruits are set against a glowering sky, a foil to these delights. Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where Severin Roesen spent several active years, was inhabited by wealthy lumber barons who bought such paintings for their dining rooms to reflect their newly acquired wealth. Roesen's sense of precision, his love of detail, and his taste for linear forms derive from his German training in Düsseldorf. Note the vine tendrils in the lower right corner which spell the artist's name.
Artist
Severin Roesen
(German, active in the United States, ca. 1815 - ca. 1872)
Title
Still Life with Watermelon
Date
ca. 1858-1871
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29 x 36 1/8 in. Overall
Credit
Max W. Zabel Fund purchase
Accession No.
68.22.1
Classification
Paintings
Geography
United States

Related

<span>24 October 1968, sold by Hirschl &amp; Adler Galleries (New York, New York) to Elvehjem Art Center [now called Chazen Museum of Art]</span>

  • Rogers, Millard F., Jr. "Paintings at the Elvehjem Art Center, University of Wisconsin." The Magazine Antiques. Vol. CVIII, No. 6, December (1975). pp. 1149, 1154, pl. 3
  • Klein, Susan. Master's Thesis in Art Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison [design for World Wide Web]. 1998
  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "Handbook of the Collection." Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, 1990. no. 89

  • Resource & Ruin: Wisconsin’s Enduring Landscape: Chazen Museum of Art, 12/19/2022–3/26/2023
  • From Foreign Shores: Three Centuries of Art by Foreign Born American Masters: Milwaukee Art Museum, 10/15/1976–11/28/1976
  • From Foreign Shores: The Milwaukee Art Center, 10/14/1976–11/28/1976

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