Fresh limes, lemon and strawberries by Pierre Benjamin
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Oil on cotton canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 40 cm
Year: 2026
Price: $250.00 USD
Status: available
In creating this piece, I wanted to capture the joy and vibrancy that summer brings into my life. Living in a place where rain often dominates, the arrival of summer feels like a long-awaited embrace. The strawberries, bursting with color, symbolize the refreshing sweetness that contrasts so sharply with the dreariness of winter. Their vivid reds are a celebration of warmth and renewal. The interplay of light and shadow in the painting mirrors the crisp, clear sunlight that I cherish during these months. I chose to use bold, lively colors to evoke the sensation of sunlight dancing across a table, bringing everything to life. The lemons add a zesty brightness, enhancing the feeling of freshness and the promise of long, sunlit days. I hope that when you view this piece, you feel the same uplifting spirit that summer brings to me. It's a reminder of the simple pleasures that can transform our mood and environment, offering a slice of sunshine even on the cloudiest days.
Why collect this work?
A tight square composition turns ordinary fruit into a study of competing weights: the bowl gathers the strawberries while citrus and long shadows pull attention outward.
- Benjamin describes colour, light and atmosphere as central to his figurative practice. Here, that stated concern is tested through a modest tabletop subject rather than a narrative scene.
- In the photograph, the bowl sits above centre, its repeated pale rims containing clustered reds and greens. Cropped shadow bands descend across the table, while scattered lemon forms disrupt the bowl’s circular order.
- The documented oil on cotton canvas permits opaque blocks, sharp accents and selective blending. These contrasts make illumination read through adjacent shapes rather than detailed modelling.
- Dated 2026 and measuring 40 by 40 cm, the painting gives contemporary still life a useful tension between domestic abundance and compositional control, especially through containment, scattering and shadow.
About the Artist
Pierre Benjamin
Pierre Benjamin is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: Painting. Based in Cardiff, GB.
Nationality: French
My work explores the relationship between place, memory, and cultural identity, shaped by my background in the colorful south of France and my...
