Albert King (1854-1945)
Still Life with Watermelon on a Wood Crate, n.d.
 Albert F. King was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and became one of the city’s best-known artists. A member of the Scalp Level artists led by George Hetzel, King, although a generation younger, traveled with the group to the remote area near Johnstown, Pennsylvania where they painted landscapes in the summer months. King also studied with Martin B. Leisser, a landscape and portrait painter who was an influential leader in Pittsburgh’s art circles. King became a master in portraiture, but also painted still lifes, landscapes, and genre scenes often for his own pleasure. He made a living by painting portraits for the city’s bank presidents and business professionals. Many portraits of the distinguished men of Pittsburgh hung in the Duquesne Club, a private club of which King was a member as well.
His undated Still Life with Watermelon on a Wood Crate, a humble subject he painted several times, continues the trompe l’oeil realist traditions of the Peale family, John Frederick Peto, and William M. Harnett. His compositions are simple and straightforward, with the dark background serving to highlight his tasty subject. A wedge has been cut out so a beverage may be poured in, and the knife stuck in the bright green rind, with the pink fruit being the chief color notes.
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