Still Life with Basket of Fruit by Unknown Artist - 1830–50 - 50.2 x 42.2 cm Cincinnati Art Museum Still Life with Basket of Fruit by Unknown Artist - 1830–50 - 50.2 x 42.2 cm Cincinnati Art Museum

Still Life with Basket of Fruit

oil on canvas • 50.2 x 42.2 cm
  • Unknown Artist Unknown Artist 1830–50

Today we want to show you a very mysterious piece. Painted by an anonymous author, this Still Life is a part of the "A Shared Legacy: Folk Art in America" exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum, which explores American folk art produced from 1800 to 1925.

So what exactly is folk art? One definition says it's art created by self-taught or minimally trained artists. Well, in contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic. It is characterized by a naive style, in which traditional rules of proportion and perspective are not employed.

As a phenomenon that can chronicle a move towards civilization yet rapidly diminish with modernity, industrialization, or outside influence, the nature of folk art is specific to its particular culture. The varied geographical and temporal prevalence and diversity of folk art make it difficult to describe as a whole, though some patterns have been demonstrated.

How do you like it?