Music and Literature (1878)

"Music and Literature" (1878) is a work by William Michael Harnett. About the period around 1878: Japanese prints reached Europe in large numbers and influenced many artists, while photography changed what painting needed to do. The later nineteenth century is the era of Impressionism, whose first group exhibition was held in Paris in 1874, followed by Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, and the Arts and Crafts movement. Still Life, a short history: Still life, the arrangement of flowers, fruit, tableware, and other objects, became a distinct genre in the Netherlands and Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Later artists, including Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso, used humble still-life subjects to test ideas about space and form. The catalogue places it in Still Life. The format is landscape.

On onlly.art "Music and Literature" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Still life works are appreciated for their intimacy and rich surface detail, which makes them especially suited to dining rooms, kitchens, studies, and other quieter parts of the home. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Hang the print away from direct sunlight, which over the years can fade any printed colour. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

American, 1848–1892

If you like the visual language of William Michael Harnett, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.