Honolulu Museum of Art:

James Peale (American, 1749-1831)
Still Life, 1824
Oil on panel
Gift of Mrs. Edward T. Harrison, 1967

James Peale's mastery of formal, artistic conventions is demonstrated by this painted arrangement of fruits. Peale, a founder of the American still-life tradition, created a balanced and stable composition with dramatic and disorderly elements. His objects, placed in a triangular form, are energized by vivid colors, a single source of light, and the inclusion of a leafy vine to contrast with the rounded forms of the over-ripened fruits. Peale worked during a period when still-life painting was considered an imitative---rather than a creative---procedure, making his stylistic accomplishments especially noteworthy. His fruits, considered delicacies at the time, may reflect the prosperity and agricultural expectations of a young America.

Nikon J3 camera, 1 Nikkor 10mm f/2.8 lens.
Program mode, 1/60, f/2.8, iso800, 10mm (FOV 27mm).
Image: 1200w, lens corrected, hand-held.