Three Pears and an Apple (1857)

Dated 1857, "Three Pears and an Apple" is an artwork by David Johnson. About the period around 1857: The invention of lithography around 1796 and its spread in these decades made printed images cheaper and more varied. The first half of the nineteenth century moved from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, which placed emotion, nature, and the sublime at the centre of painting. Background on Still Life: Later artists, including Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso, used humble still-life subjects to test ideas about space and form. Dutch vanitas paintings used objects such as skulls, candles, and wilting flowers to remind viewers that time passes. The catalogue places it in Still Life. The format is landscape.

On onlly.art "Three Pears and an Apple" 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. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing.

American, 1827–1908

If you like the visual language of David Johnson, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.