Still Life with Fruits and Jug

Gustav Hessing was born in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) in 1909. After attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna until 1931, he established himself as a freelance artist. During the Second World War he was prohibited from working as an artist by the National Socialists. In 1946 he was a co-founder of the artists’ association ‘Der Kreis’ (The Circle); he was also a member of the Secession from 1958 to 1960, and then once again from 1969 onwards. In 1967 he was appointed Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. A large retrospective was devoted to him by the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in 1979.
The picture ‘Still Life with Fruits and Jug’ shows the intense of use of colour typical of Hessing, as well as the open style of painting. The integration of the depicted objects into the overall ornamental appearance is what distinguishes this work. The lifeless objects, characteristic of a still life, to be found here in the form of fruit, a fruit basket and a jug, are given an almost vibrant character by the strong use of colour.