Tadeusz Makowski (1882 - 1932), Still life with apples, ca. 1923

oil, canvas; 19 x 33 cm;
Signed l. d.: "T. Makowski."
On the reverse:
- damaged sticker of the French Montaigne Gallery with handwritten inscription: "Makowski";
- private collection sticker with printed text: "Tadeusz Makowski / "Still Life with Apples", / oil on canvas, 19 x 33 cm / PM 698";
- double marking on canvas and loom: "PM 698" (in marker);
- auction sticker

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

Bibliography:
Jaworska W., Tadeusz Makowski. Life and work, Wroclaw 1964.

Agra-Art (Auction June 3, 2012, cat. no. 72).

Fruit arranged on a plate or in a woven basket, also accompanied by flowers, can be seen in Tadeusz Makowski's paintings in the first half of the 1920s, for example. Interestingly, the still life motif also accompanied female nudes, enriching the subject matter of the paintings. One can see in them references to the symbolism of harvest and abundance, which in compositions with fruits found its quite clear painterly interpretation. Wladyslawa Jaworska recalls Makowski's interest in Henri Le Fauconnier's painting entitled "L'Abondance" (Abundance), which inspired the artist's later compositions, including depictions with fruit.

"Still Life with Apples" was executed in a color palette recognizable to the painter. It is worth noting the changes in the colors of individual fruits, which bring to mind the motif of passing time. Widely applied layers of paint, with a distinct texture, emphasize the structure of the objects and differentiate the plane of the background.

From the 1920s, already belonging to the mature period of the painter's work, come other works with this theme. Worth mentioning dated 1923 are: "Basket with Fruit (Still Life with Pear)," "Still Life with Cavon and Grapes" or "Still Life with Melon and Grapes" (1923).