Jean-baptiste Olive (1848–1936) Still Life With Burst Pomegranates

Following in the tradition of the great Flemish artists, the split pomegranate was one of Jean-Baptiste Olive’s favorite motifs, which he rendered with true sensuality, the grainy texture of the red seeds contrasts with the white flesh of the fruit.
The work, in very good condition, is presented in a carved frame measuring 62 cm by 77 cm, with the canvas itself measuring 50 cm by 65 cm. 
It depicts a still life of burst pomegranates arranged in a pyramid of volumes extending from the dark background toward the edge of the table, with a strong focal point at the center: the whole and burst pomegranates—whose scarlet flesh concentrates the light and draws the eye, revealing their ruby-red seeds—a Moustier earthenware bowl with scalloped edges and blue decoration, and a bottle of Chianti.
Jean-Baptiste Olive developed, under the guidance of his teacher Antoine Vollon, a taste for chiaroscuro and these stark contrasts between shadow and bursts of color, lending the scene an almost Caravaggesque intensity, reinforced by low-angled light coming from the left that strongly sculpts the forms, a very dark, almost monochromatic background against which the vivid reds of the ripe fruit stand out, enhanced by a few white touches to capture the glints on the smooth skins.
A beautiful testament to his talent and his classical training under Vollon, reminding us that Olive is a well-rounded artist and not merely an Impressionist marine painter—the genre for which he is best known.
A work signed in the lower left corner, much more beautiful in person as it is difficult to capture in photographs.

Jean-Baptiste Olive was encouraged by his friend, the decorator Étienne Cornellier, to enroll at the École des Beaux-Arts in Marseille, where he studied under Johanny Rave (1827-1882).
His work earned him awards every year, including a first prize in the life drawing class.

He learned the craft of interior design.
He painted Marseille extensively, including its Old Port, its islands, and its shores.
In 1874, he traveled to Italy, visiting Genoa and Venice.
He exhibited sporadically at various Provençal Salons.
He possessed a profound humility regarding his talent and felt no desire to pass on his knowledge to any students. However, Jean-Baptiste Olive perplexed critics, gallery owners, and friends alike, who were fascinated by the contrast between his dazzlingly clear paintings and the complex, introverted personality of the artist. He earned a place of honor in the lives and hearts of those he met throughout his career, and numerous patrons supported him.

In 1948, ten years after his death, the Musée Cantini in Marseille dedicated the centenary exhibition to him, presenting eighty-two works from his extensive artistic career.
His presence is a dominant force in the maritime landscape movement.

He formed close ties with Gustave Marius Jullien (1825-1881), Étienne Cornellier, and Antoine Vollon.

He frequented Robert Mols and became friends with Raymond Allègre and Théophile Henri Décanis.
In Paris, he contributed to the decoration of the Cirque d'Hiver, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, and several pavilions at the 1889 Universal Exposition.
From 1874 onward, he exhibited at the Paris Salon and won several prizes in the following years. He became a member of the Salon des Artistes Français in 1881 and received a silver medal at the 1889 Universal Exposition.
General Malesherbes purchased some of his paintings.

In 1900, he was commissioned to paint two canvases to decorate the Salle Dorée (Golden Room) of the Le Train Bleu restaurant at the Gare de Lyon in Paris.

Works in Public Collections

Athens, National Gallery: The Environs of Saint-Cyr, 1914, oil on canvas; Mistral, oil on canvas; Mistral in Marseille, oil on canvas; Shore at Marseille, oil on canvas.
Béziers, Museum of Fine Arts: Still Life with Fruit, 1872, oil on canvas.
Colmar, Prefecture of Haut-Rhin: Evening, Bay of Villefranche, 1893, pen, India ink, scratchboard. Study for the painting exhibited at the Salon of 1893
Le Havre, André Malraux Museum of Modern Art: The Cliff, oil on canvas
Marseille: Cantini Museum: Carry-le-Rouet, before 1917, oil on canvas, The Wreck of the Navarre, near Carry, before 1917, oil on canvas, Storm, before 1917, oil on canvas
Grobet-Labadié Museum: A Wave, oil on canvas
Museum of the Navy and Economy: Oil Quay. Marseille Museum of Fine Arts: The Corniche in Marseille, oil on canvas, The Salute in Venice, oil on canvas, Seascape, oil on canvas
Paris: Department of Graphic Arts, Louvre Museum, Landscape, scratchboard, India ink
Gare de Lyon: Large Fresco of the Gare de Lyon, 1900, oil on canvas mounted on canvas.

Le Train Bleu Restaurant, Golden Room: The Old Port of Marseille, 1900, oil on canvas; Saint-Honorat, 1901, oil on canvas. Toulon, Museum of Art: Port of Toulon, 1878, oil on canvas; Port of Marseille, 1880, oil on wood. This small painting bears a dedication to Jean Aicard dated May 3, 1880, and located in Paris. Calanque d'en Vau, oil on canvas.

Brazil, São Paulo, Museum of Art: Seascape with Rocks.

Tribute
Knight of the Legion of Honor on January 20, 1899, promoted to Officer on August 12, 1923. A street in Marseille bears his name. Exhibitions: Paris, Universal Exhibition of 1889 (silver medal). 1948, Cantini Museum in Marseille, exhibition commemorating the centenary of the birth of Jean-Baptiste Olive, 82 works presented. In 2008, in Geneva, Switzerland, the Bartha and Senarclens Gallery hosted the Marc Stammegna Gallery from June 6 to July 31, 2008, for "These Painters of Provence," a group exhibition of 22 painters including Jean-Baptiste Olive, Frédéric Montenard, Louis Valtat, and Félix Ziem. From September 26, 2008, to January 25, 2009, at the Palais des Arts in Marseille, "Jean-Baptiste Olive - Prism of Light" was organized by the Regards de Provence Foundation.