Apples on a trellis

In 1907, the double talented Van Looy - both painter and writer - returned to his hometown Haarlem after having lived in Amsterdam from 1877 until 1894. This period in Haarlem is best characterized by the many portraits of children he executed. But the artist also painted the backgarden of his house in Haarlem at the Kleine Houtweg, to which he and his wife, Titia van Gelder, had moved in 1913. The fruits and flowers growing there, were a constant source of inspiration. This resulted in a series of close up paintings of groups of flowers and boughs of fruit. Instead of selling these paintings, Van Looy used them to decorate his house. With it's close-up view and bright colours, the present work fits perfectly well in the artist's Haarlem period.