Dialogue by Mark:

All this talk about ice cream iceburgs makes me hungry...then Kim at KidsArt, our gourmet of art history, sends us more yummy snacks for today's Master's Gallery. This masterpiece painting is titled "Oranges in Tissue paper." It comes to us from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The artist was William McCloskey and he created this painting in 1890.

During the 19th century many American artists like McClosky made their living by painting still lifes...basically things that sit still and don't move. Flowers and fruits and vegetables were popular subjects. A still life can be very realistic, like this painting. Or a still life can be so abstract that you can hardly recognize the things in the picture. It all depends on the artist and their individual style of painting.

McClosky chose to paint a very real picture, almost like a photograph. His oranges look good enough to eat! The warm colors he used to paint the fruit contrast with the white and grey of the paper and the deep Prussian blue of the velvety background. Look at how the oranges are shaded on one side, and highlighted with white specks, so they appear round. McClosky even painted the reflection of the oranges in the shiny tabletop.

You can draw and paint still life pictures too. Just visit the kitchen and pick some likely subjects...apples or lemons, a big cabbage, some eggs. Arrange them on a table, and you're ready to draw. One good thing...these models won't mind holding still for you!