Seeing Light

Juan Sánchez Cotán

Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber

about 1602

Oil on canvas. The San Diego Museum of Art

Simple fruits and vegetables against black show the sequence plainly.

• The cabbage and melon turn from lit fronts into deep shadow on their far sides.
• The cut melon shows flat cut faces and the round rind taking light differently.

Concepts

• The Light and Shadow Sequence

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain