Schwenk
Fairfield Porter
American, 1907–1975
1959
An intimate oil-on-canvas still life in which Fairfield Porter assembles everyday vessels, fruit, and a flowering bouquet to convey the warmth and immediacy of domestic life.
You’re first struck by the dense spray of lilac-and-white flowers in a low earthenware jug, set against bold, flat patches of red, yellow, and black and surrounded by patterned plates, containers, and two luminous oranges, all painted with loose, tactile brushwork and a shallow, stage-like spatial recession.
Part of Porter’s mid‑century practice, the work marries close observational realism with modernist concerns of color, surface, and composition, helping to reassert ordinary domestic scenes as important subjects in postwar American painting.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
22 5/8 x 31" (57.3 x 78.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Arthur M. Bullowa
Accession
212.1972
Palette
Exhibitions
