Gouache Still Life with Grapes, artist Maxim Babich

• Artist: Maxim Babich
• Title: "Still Life with Grapes"
• Year: 2026
• Size: 100 × 79 cm
• Materials: gouache and watercolour on cardboard
• Original hand-painted artwork

"Still Life with Grapes" is a large horizontal still life, as generous as a summer table at a country house. The upper half of the sheet is filled with a lush bouquet: orange marigolds on the left, a cloud of small pink flowers on the right, and a dark glossy vase in the centre. Below, on a table covered with a grey-lilac cloth and turquoise drapery, the fruit is laid out: a watermelon cut in half with scarlet flesh and several of its slices, yellow wedges of melon on a plate and directly on the table, pears, rosy apples and a peach. Bunches of dark purple and golden-green grapes recur throughout the composition — by the vase, in the middle of the table and at the edge of the drapery — tying it all together. In the foreground a knife with a yellow handle lies diagonally, leading the eye into the depth of the table.

The work is done in gouache and watercolour on cardboard. The artist paints with open, dense strokes without hiding the movement of the brush: the petals are short curling touches, the foliage frequent green dashes, the flesh of the watermelon and melon broad washes with coloured outlines. Dense, opaque gouache sits next to more transparent areas where the paint lies more lightly and the tone of the support shows through. The forms are generalised, the objects outlined with bright coloured lines, and the shadows are built not in grey but in lilac, blue and green. The signature "M. Babich" and the year "2026" are in the upper left corner.

The palette is ringing and sunny. The red watermelon, orange marigolds and lemon-yellow melon glow against the cool turquoise, lilac and lavender shades of the tablecloth and wall. The green of the leaves and rinds, the purple grapes and pink flowers add variety, yet the overall feeling stays warm and festive: this is how late summer looks, when the harvest is in and the table is laden with fruit. The light is diffused daylight without harsh shadows, and colour itself becomes the source of the cheerful mood.

Maxim Babich is a painter working in easel painting in the tradition of Impressionism; in his own words, he loves to paint sunlight and colour. Besides painting, he works in gouache and watercolour, including still lifes.

At 100 × 79 cm the still life can become the main accent on a wall in a dining room, a spacious kitchen or a living room above the dining area. Its bright palette will enliven a light interior with white, beige or grey walls, and it also suits a country house, a veranda or a café. The work is a fitting gift for a family, a homemaker, a cooking enthusiast or anyone who misses summer; before hanging it is worth framing it under glass or with a mount to protect the paint layer.