A still life of a bouquet of leeks and onion by Rob Rollenberg

About "A still life of a bouquet of leeks and onion"

by Rob Rollenberg

About the artwork

For this picture, I again opted for a "bouquet" style, but this time with leeks and onions as central elements. In a large glass vase, I placed some leek stems upright, their dark green leaves standing out like a fan. They form a strong vertical element in the composition, almost like a sculpture. The thick, white underside of the leeks forms a nice contrast to the deep greens of the leaves. In the vase, I stacked small brown onions, creating a playful interaction between the round shapes of the onions and the long, clean lines of the leeks.

A few onions and pieces of sliced leeks lie on the table surface in front of the vase, giving a natural and rustic feel to the picture. The opened onion in the foreground shows its shiny, translucent layers, adding subtle texture and detail to the composition. The soft lighting highlights the richness of the colours and textures, while the dark background ensures that the vegetable is fully in the spotlight, without distraction from other elements.

With this photo, I wanted to elevate the simplicity of vegetables into something akin to a still life, where the raw shapes and colours of the ingredients take centre stage. The vase as a "bouquet" not only acts as a form of presentation, but gives the leeks and onions an almost decorative, sculptural character. I made sure the composition is both aesthetically interesting and a tribute to the beauty of everyday kitchen ingredients.