Still Life with Two Figures (work of art)

Key Ideas about this Work of Art

• Still Life with Two Figures shares similarities with Pieter Aersten’s Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms, another work from the NCMA collection. Each exemplifies the Northern European tradition of market and kitchen still-life scenes popular during the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Impasto, the process of laying paint or pigment on the canvas thickly so it stands out from the surface, was applied to the produce to give them a more realistic texture. A famous example of impasto style painting is Starry Night, by Van Gogh. The use of impasto in Still Life with Two Figures is particularly noticeable on the melons that are sitting in the baskets. 
• The painting does not make overt connections with Christianity, but the juxtaposition of the old man and the young woman has been suggested as a subtle reference to Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus.

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Still Life with Two figures shows a cornucopia of produce and live poultry at a market stand. Green beans, squash, pumpkins, and the most prominent symbol of modern Thanksgiving, the turkey, were all native to the Americas. They appear in this Dutch painting because, like so many other products such as pepper, sugar, and tobacco, they were introduced to Western Europe by colonizers and explorers returning home. Both the richness showcased here as well as the specific items shown could not have existed without Dutch colonialism.

Additional Resources

Khan Academy