Still-Life with Fruit

If it were not for the fruit on the plate, this picture by Pranas Domšaitis (1880–1965) would be almost monochromatic. This quality makes the painting strange and tense. The subjects are very ordinary: a jug, a cup and saucer, a large plate with fruit, and a cut apple, which upsets the balance and peacefulness of the geometrically arranged composition. The contrast between the unchanging everlasting white crockery and the colourful short-lived fruit gives rise to various thoughts. To some, it is about statics and dynamics, and their sources and reasons; to others, it is about impermanence and stability; while to others it is about the conventionality of beauty. The artist must have tried to give this impression.

Text author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė

The still-life from Domšaitis’ Berlin period depicts seemingly ordinary everyday objects: some dishes and fruit. However, the cold reflections on the faience jug, the murky whiteness of the plate, and the contrasting colours of the fruit, combine to create an underlying atmosphere of tension and discomfort. This work aligns with the stylistic characteristics of the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement, which emerged in Germany after the First World War, and was known for its cold, rational approach to painting, clear, static compositions, and social critique. In works by its adherents, people and objects often appear distanced and almost alienated from each other, reflecting the postwar crisis of modern society.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album OBJECTS ON SHOW (2017). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: “Always on the Road. Paintings from Private Collections”, 12 June – 27 July 2015, M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas

If it were not for the fruit on the plate, this picture by Pranas Domšaitis (1880–1965) would be almost monochromatic. This quality makes the painting strange and tense. The subjects are very ordinary: a jug, a cup and saucer, a large plate with fruit, and a cut apple, which upsets the balance and peacefulness of the geometrically arranged composition. The contrast between the unchanging everlasting white crockery and the colourful short-lived fruit gives rise to various thoughts. To some, it is about statics and dynamics, and their sources and reasons; to others, it is about impermanence and stability; while to others it is about the conventionality of beauty. The artist must have tried to give this impression.

Text author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė

The still-life from Domšaitis’ Berlin period depicts seemingly ordinary everyday objects: some dishes and fruit. However, the cold reflections on the faience jug, the murky whiteness of the plate, and the contrasting colours of the fruit, combine to create an underlying atmosphere of tension and discomfort. This work aligns with the stylistic characteristics of the New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) movement, which emerged in Germany after the First World War, and was known for its cold, rational approach to painting, clear, static compositions, and social critique. In works by its adherents, people and objects often appear distanced and almost alienated from each other, reflecting the postwar crisis of modern society.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album OBJECTS ON SHOW (2017). Compiler and author Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: “Always on the Road. Paintings from Private Collections”, 12 June – 27 July 2015, M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas