oil on canvas, 94×138 cm
signed and dated lower right 15 U. Conti
In 1915, Conti created a series of paintings in which the human figure is added to the Cézanne-style still life on large white tablecloths, a deliberate reference to 17th-century painting. This Fruit Seller is one of the finest examples of the period, both for the fresh treatment of the figure, suggesting a spontaneous process, and for the unmediated presentation of the image. The popular choice of subject matter and the freedom of the lines reveal the artist's temperament more than anything else, and the gestural brushstrokes, guided by a careful study of Van Gogh but applied to a broader compositional scope, are reminiscent of his later works.
