Mouth-watering melons in artworks

Born in Annapolis in 1774, Raphaelle Peale grew up in Philadelphia, was trained as an artist by his father, and is considered the first professional American painter of the still life. Travels to Mexico and South America are said to have influenced his style. While many works like the above melon are easily digestible, others are more mysterious and play with motifs like Venus.

John Francis, born in Philadelphia in 1808, was largely self-taught, first painting portraits before turning to still lifes. His "Ripe Melons" (image) from 1850 reflects an Old Masters style of darkness and light contrasts, while showcasing his focus on intricate detail. Art historian William H. Gerdts wrote of Francis that "There is often a freshness and a brio to his paint application."

Remarkably, given that it was the 17th century and she was a woman, French painter Louise Moillon is considered one of the most famous and influential still-life artists of the Baroque period. King Charles I of England and French nobility purchased her work, which she created primarily before her marriage. Her succulent "Cup of Cherries and Melon" is housed within Paris’ Louvre Museum.

Moillon's older Italian counterpart, Giovanna Garzoni, an Italian Baroque painter born in 1600, managed to gain fame for her portraits and still lifes. Viewing her images, you notice a coy, sardonic wit. The melon-focused still life has a snail in its title, for example, though the fly in the image is not credited.

Another Baroque Italian painter, Campidoglio was born in Rome in 1610. This work was created some time in the mid-1600s. The artist proffered this oil-on-canvas painting depicting fruits and melons, but their symmetrical alignment jars with the chaos of nature.

Paul Cezanne, born in Aix-en-Provence in 1839, mixed Impressionist and Cubist styles, as seen in his watercolor-and-pencil "Still Life with Watermelon" from circa 1900. His prolific work of nearly 1,000 oil paintings helped bridge 19th and 20th-century art. After living in Paris, he returned to his native southern France, a location that would influence many of his works.

Swiss-French painter Felix Vallotton, who was born in 1865 and died in 1925 in France, famously documented fin de siècle Paris and mocked the bourgeoisie. His realistic, stark approach gained him international fame.