Pergola with Oranges

Art Historical Context

Thomas Fearnley's *Pergola with Oranges (c. 1834) captures a sun-drenched Mediterranean scene, likely inspired by the artist's travels in Italy. Painted in oil on paper and mounted on canvas, this work measures just 28 × 37 cm, suggesting it may have been a plein air study or preparatory sketch. Fearnley, a leading Norwegian Romantic painter (1802–1842), was part of the Düsseldorf school, for dramatic landscapes that evoke nature's sublime beauty and emotional power. During the Romantic era, artists like Fearnley sought inspiration abroad, contrasting Scandinavia's rugged fjords with Italy's lush, luminous groves. Here, the pergola—laden with vibrant oranges—frames a moment of serene abundance, highlighting his masterful use of light and atmosphere to convey warmth and vitality. The unconventional medium of oil on paper allowed for spontaneity and portability, a technique that bridged studio work and on-site observation, influencing later Impressionists. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe, this gem exemplifies Fearnley's brief but brilliant career, cut short by tuberculosis at age 39. It invites visitors to savor the exotic allure that captivated 19th-century Northern Europeans, blending personal wanderlust with artistic innovation.

About the Artist

Thomas Fearnley · 1802–1842

Thomas Fearnley was a leading Norwegian Romantic painter, born on 27 December 1802 in Frederikshald (now Halden) to merchant Thomas Fearnley and Maren Sophie Paus, whose family belonged to the prominent Paus lineage of Telemark. His grandfather had immigrated from Yorkshire, England. Sent at age five to live with an aunt in Christiania (Oslo), he first studied drawing at the Royal Drawing School f...