“Stand still. The trees ahead and bush beside you are not lost.”
Albert Einstein

Still Life With Flowers And A Birds Nest; Oil on Panel; Severin Roesen

Originally a porcelain painter, Roesen came to New York about 1848, possibly as a result of political upheavals in his native Germany. His lavish, highly detailed still lifes celebrate nature’s bounty while showcasing his technical virtuosity. Such depictions of abundance reflected the increasing availability and variety of fruit in this period, the result of improvements in cultivation and transportation.

While Roesen’s paintings reveal a meticulous attention to detail in their precise arrangements and close brushwork, his subject matter, even down to specific motifs, did not change throughout his career. Sometimes he made near copies of paintings, but usually he merely rearranged and reassembled stock elements.

Although Roesen was famous for his work in the Williamsport area, it wasn’t until 100 years after his death that his paintings were brought to the attention of the larger public by First Lady Jackie Kennedy when she hung several of his paintings in the newly refurbished White House.