Jan Roos – Still Life of Fruit and Vegetables with Two Monkeys Part 4 National Gallery UK

The composition presents a lavish arrangement of fruit and vegetables displayed across a dark, horizontal surface. A profusion of grapes, plums, peaches, pears, and other unidentified produce spills over the edge, creating a sense of abundance and almost chaotic naturalism. The artist has employed a chiaroscuro technique, utilizing strong contrasts between light and shadow to emphasize the textures and forms of the objects. Light falls primarily on the fruit, highlighting their glossy surfaces and contributing to an overall impression of ripeness and vitality.
Two monkeys are integrated into this still life. One is perched atop the arrangement, actively reaching for a plum with a playful expression. The second monkey lies prone in the foreground, seemingly exhausted or perhaps observing the scene with detached amusement. Their inclusion introduces elements of animation and mischief to what would otherwise be a static depiction.
The dark background serves to isolate the still life, drawing attention to its materiality and symbolic weight. A sense of depth is created through the layering of objects – the fruit cascading over the ledge, the monkeys positioned at varying distances from the viewer. The artist’s brushwork appears loose and expressive, particularly in the rendering of foliage and fur, contributing to a feeling of immediacy and spontaneity.
Beyond its purely decorative qualities, this painting likely carries symbolic undertones common within still life traditions. The abundance of fruit could represent prosperity and fertility, while the presence of the monkeys introduces themes of temptation, indulgence, and perhaps even human folly. Monkeys were frequently used in art as allegorical figures representing vanity or uncontrolled desires. Their interaction with the food reinforces a narrative about the fleeting nature of pleasure and the potential for excess. The discarded plums on the surface below further emphasize this theme of wastefulness and transience.

The overall effect is one of opulent display tempered by an underlying awareness of mortality and the inherent instability of earthly pleasures.