Okay, admit it. When ambling through collections of European art, you tend to bound past those Dutch still life paintings. I know I do. Admirable though they might be in technique, there seems so little there to grab us (the above example is by Althasar van der Ast). No figures to relate to, no narrative, no drama. Worse still, the artists seem interchangeable, which conflicts with our who's-who or auteur approach to museum-going. Moreover, still life has been written off as a low form of art. With the exception of Cézanne, no artist who remains widely known today gained fame through painting piles of fruit, and for him, subject matter was far less important than method. Here I want to offer something of an appreciation of the Dutch still life genre, or at least a contextualization that has made me slow down when crossing those vacant museum rooms.
It all begins after 1600, we are told, during the Golden Age of Dutch culture. The flower picture on the left is from 1608 (by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder) and the skull with coins is from 1603 (Jacques de Gheyn the Elder). By this time, the Dutch Republic had been liberated from Spanish rule, and there was a growing middle class eager to invest in art. Still life paintings were a smash hit and their popularity would last for over a century. But the emergence of this genre is something of a mystery. How did still life paintings first appear? Why then? Why there? And what made them so damn popular?
To get at these questions, we need to first expose a myth: Dutch still life paintings did not appear ex nihilo. They have a history before the 20th century, and that history is important for understanding cross-currents and changing tides in European art. Here I want to focus on food paintings, leaving aside flowers, books, and other popular subjects. Food, of course, is often present in representational art, and had been featured in many Renaissance paintings, from Leonardo's Last Supper (1494-8) to Bruegel's The Peasant Wedding (1568). But food is incidental in most of these works. The question is, when did food get recognized as a subject in its own right?
One important breakthrough seems to have been Pieter Aertsen's Butcher's Shop with a Flight Into Egypt, painting in 1551, half a century before still life painting officially took off in the low countries. This painting (above) is nothing short of astonishing. Aertsen was a Northern Mannerist, and he achieves here what is called a Mannerist inversion, taking a classical biblical scene and exiling it to the background, exalting lowly or incidental objects, by making them the primary subject of the work. This has been done by others with landscapes, and now Aertsen was doing it with decadent piles of food. The Flight into Egypt (shown in a detail below) is almost invisible, nestled below a pig's ear. It's significance is rendered even more trifling by the presence of an equally proportioned genre scene on the right side of the canvas, which features two men and two women, inviting narrative projections from the viewer of domestic life and romance (also below).
Shortly after producing this with Aertson would be producing food paintings without religious pretext. He specialized in market scenes, which quickly caught on. These are usually market scenes: butchers, fishmongers, or fruit and vegetable sellers. Others began to make kitchen scenes as well. Technically, these are not still life paintings, because they retain important figurative elements, but the foodstuffs dominate, making them important precursors. The greatest of these painters is perhaps Joachim Beuckelaer, who painted sturdy market women with rolled sleeves, stationed proudly aside mountains of cabbages.
Stylistically, however, there is a gap between the mannerist marvels of the 16th century, and the austere chiaroscuro, which typifies the 17th century genre. To fill this gap, we need a detour through Italy, or so it seems to me. Mannerism is colorful, dramatic, and flamboyant. In both Northern Mannerism and its Italian counterpart, there is an active effort to break from the sedate realism of earlier Renaissance work. So we must ask how did sedate realism re-enter the still life? This question, I suggest, is tantamount to answering, how did Mannerism end? One answer, popular in art history, is that mannerism was killed off, by a murderous painter named Caravaggio.

Caravaggio, it must be said, did not invent this new approach to painting on his own. He was influenced by earlier Lombardy painters, like Moretto da Brescia. To understand the link between Caravaggio's stylistic innovations and Dutch still life painting, it is helpful to recall a forgotten figure in the Lombardy school, Vincenzo Campi. Campi was a bridge figure between the excess of mannerism and the sobriety of Lombardy, a remarkable balance, which he achieved in part by adapting a genre of paintings that was more or less unknown in Italy: the market painting. Influenced by Dutch artists like Beuckelaer (remember him?), Campi's paintings retain the opulent piles of food found in northern Mannerist market scenes, but arrange these more tidily, and he tones down the palette and adds more negative space. He was creating paintings like this by the 1570s. The one below is from 1580.

Carravaggio's style spread quickly through Europe. He had imitators in Italy, France, and Spain. In Italy, he influenced the work of a superb artist named Fede Galizia, who began producing compelling still life paintings. The earliest dated example is from 1602 (below), but it is possible that Galizia was painting such panels before Caravaggio. In any case, she deserves credit for being an important pioneer of the genre.
Caravaggio's Spanish enthusiasts also began producing still lifes. The two best followers were Juan Sanchez Cotán and Francisco de Zurbarán. They both adopted a highly formalized, minimalist approach and can be credited with producing some of the most striking still life paintings ever crafted. Examples from each appear below.
My interest here, however, is with Caravaggio's followers in the Dutch Republic. Unlike the Italians and Spanish, the Dutch were Protestant. More precisely, they were Calvinists. This presumably added to Caravaggio's appeal. The Dutch were committed to austerity and restraint--characteristics evident in his paintings. But Caravaggio also had a lusty side. His sensuous humanism and his apotheosis of prostitutes and streetwise pretty boys did not align with their values. Moreover, there was a Calvinist ban on religious subjects, which had been Caravaggio's forté. Indeed, there were efforts to cut art off from the church. Meanwhile, new found affluence meant there was a growing class of consumers with disposable income who wanted to invest in art without violating religious strictures. In this climate, Caravaggio's style had great appeal, but only his still life paintings were safe in terms of subject matter.

All of this, of course, has stage setting for the work that I want to examine. Let me turn, at last, to a few Dutch still lifes. To begin with a canonical example, consider this masterpiece by Willem Claeszoon Heda (1634). The background is a simple gray field with a ray of light, reminiscent of Caravaggio. The main subject is a dinner table after a feast, replete with many of the aforementioned symbols of impermanence, along with a tipped chalice and a crumpled tablecloth. At the near midpoint of the canvas is a silver "cellar," which is a decorative canister for holding salt, a luxury item. There is also a plate of half eaten oysters, and a half peeled lemon, whose rind hangs down like a noose on the far right. Thus, saltiness, bitterness, and tartness are all on display, standing in for culinary abundance (lemons were imported from the Mediterranean), but also serving as metaphors for life's hardships. These items are common in the genre, and reappear the same iconic consistency as Mary and Jesus in Renaissance art.
Heda's painting is at once decadent and austere. These two extremes are always in dialectic display in these works, but some artists pushed the balance in one way or the other. The painting below, by Pieter Claesz (1635) is striking for its minimalism. It mostly consists in a large piece of meat, which, rather than enticing, has the charm of a human skull.
By contest, consider this work by Abraham van Beyeren, which shows a more ostentatious style which became popular later in the 17th century. The extravagance on display here vaguely recall Mannerism, but the controlled, horizontal formal, and the vanitas symbols make it unmistakably Baroque.
One interesting phenomenon in the world of Dutch still life painting was the inclusion of women. Though sill greatly outnumbered by men, a number of women painting attained considerable recognition at that time. I mentioned Rachel Ruysch in an earlier blog (on the Wunderkammer), who was an accomplished flower painter. Of equal acclaim was Clara Peeters. The example below is "breakfast" painting, which contrasts with the "banquet" painting we've been looking at. Peeters liked to depict cheese, and in this stunning example from 1616, she also includes dates, nuts, and pretzels (those coils on the left are not meat). Unlike the other examples, there are no overt symbols of mortality here, though the grim color scheme and claustrophobic composition hardly make this an homage to hedonism.
Also of note is the knife. A standard trope in Dutch still life paintings, Petters liked to sign her work by creating an illusionistic engraving on cutting implements. I like to think of this as a feminist gesture. Also amenable to that interpretation are the figure cast into this particular knife: a nude woman pouring wine and another holding a cross. These two figures perfectly capture the dialectic that I have been discussing, but they also say something about the artist. Peeters may be presenting herself as devout, but also carnal. An unsurpassed master of the genre, she had a talent for breathing life into inanimate things. It is hard to view her canvas without feeling the urge to pick up a piece of the dried fruit on offer.
Notice, too, the chip in the table here. You might think it looks familiar. A less subtly chipped table appears above in one of Caravaggio's examples. I don't know who innovated this particular symbol of decay. It may have Italian origins, but, then again, we have seen that the Italians were also borrowing ideas from the Dutch. I'm not suggesting that Peeters was looking at Italian paintings. It's beleived that her teacher was Osias Beert, the elder, a Dutch master. Here is a graphic example of his craft (note the roll, which also makes a cameo in the example from Peeters).
By way of conclusion, I want to mention that, despite a strong bias against still life painting, the genre has an important place in art history. I mentioned Cézanne at the outset, but we must also remember that Braque and Picasso made extensive use of the genre in launching cubism, Morandi made a career of it, and pop artists arguably restored something analogous to still life painting when they began to depict ordinary household items. With this in mind, I end with a Warhol-inflected homage to Heda.
I noticed the grapes in the first painting. They look like grapes today.
ReplyDeleteAlso Pieter Aertsen painting, there are so many layers to the painting, it is a good idea.
Great Article Artificial Intelligence Projects
DeleteProject Center in Chennai
JavaScript Training in Chennai
JavaScript Training in Chennai Project Centers in Chennai
"Supper at Emmaus", the table cloth, the one with the pattern, is very familiar with table cloths from today, people from the countryside usually have those.
ReplyDeleteThe man looking at Jesus looks thoughtful, somehow like in this painting:
http://www.abcgallery.com/B/bosch/bosch53.html
It is important, not ordinary.
understanding, thoughtful, sympathetic, sadness.
it just occured to me. I am not being sarcastic. I find it puzzling that grapes from that period look like grapes from today. Also, that the table cloth is so similar with table cloths I know today.
ReplyDeletewhy in that painting with the skull, there are money there as well, coins?
ReplyDeleteis it something that people must do related with death?
makes no sense.
zhengjx20160816
ReplyDeletekate spade handbags
lebron james shoes 13
michael kors outlet
ray ban outlet
michael kors outlet
air jordans
fitflops sale
louis vuitton purses
michael kors bags
air jordan 4
louis vuitton borse
true religion sale
coach outlet online
cheap rolex watches
louis vuitton purses
nike outlet
canada goose jackets
tods sale
uggs sale
juicy couture
fit flops
louis vuitton outlet
los angeles clippers jerseys
curry 3
michael kors outlet
gucci outlet online
insanity workout
cheap jerseys
christian louboutin sale clearance
canada goose sale
ugg boots
ralph lauren
cheap uggs
nike air max uk
christian louboutin sale
ugg outlet
ray bans
louis vuitton
cheap uggs
oakley vault
nfl jerseys wholesale
ReplyDeletecanada goose jackets
uggs boots
warriors jerseys
adidas superstar trainers
ugg outlet
ray ban sunglasses outlet
jordans for sale
coach outlet store online clearances
ray ban outlet
2016.10.17xukaimin
jordan shoes
ReplyDeletembt
air jordan pas cher
ralph lauren
michael kors outlet store
louis vuitton
longchamp
michael kors handbags
adidas slides
coach factory outlet
chenjiajin2018.5.9
jordan 4
ReplyDeleteadidas outlet
nike blazer shoes
adidas stan smith
givenchy handbags
coach outlet online
michael kors outlet clearance
james harden shoes
balance shoes
adidas superstar
chenlina20180516
salomon outlet
ReplyDeletebaseball bats
france world cup jersey
ray ban
tiffany jewelry bracelet
kobe 10
fitflops sale
vans shoes
nike free run
nike outlet online
2018.5.25linying
https://baseballstarmod.xyz/apk/
ReplyDeletehttps://terrariaapk.xyz/apk/
https://monsterlegendsmod.xyz/apk/
may be useful for all, helpful article once and pardon me permission to share also here :
ReplyDeleteCara mengatasi anemia pada ibu hamil
Cara menghilangkan keloid
Obat herbal sinusitis
Obat tradisional usus buntu
Cara menyembuhkan penyakit lepra
Cara mengatasi kaki kebas
Cara mengobati penyakit psoriasis
ReplyDeleteغسيل خزانات بمكة شركة غسيل عزل تنظيف خزانات بمكة
غسيل خزانات بجدة شركة غسيل عزل تنظيف خزانات بجدة
غسيل خزانات بالدمام شركة غسيل عزل تنظيف خزانات بالدمام
adidas stan smith shoes
ReplyDeletehogan outlet online
supreme hoodie
balenciaga shoes
michael kors outlet online
jordan retro
ferragamo belt
nike lebron 16
adidas ultra boost
lebron 15 shoes
adidas stan smith shoes
ReplyDeletehogan outlet online
supreme hoodie
balenciaga shoes
michael kors outlet online
jordan retro
ferragamo belt
nike lebron 16
adidas ultra boost
lebron 15 shoes
Bangladesh Education Result Board & Government Official website. HSC Admission Result 2020 Recently Published. Government web. HSC Result Student can download HSC Admission Result PDF File. https://allresultsall.com
ReplyDeleteHis warmth was an invitation to stray dogs, children and troubled adults, and he eagerly embraced the weak and downtrodden whom modern society had pushed aside. But behind the kindly manner and ever present sunglasses was a sharp judge of character and a shrewd manipulator, a skillful dissembler who could adopt a thousand guises to achieve his ends. At one point, he singlehandedly divided a progressive housing cooperative, exploiting and confounding the best intentions of a group of university educated idealists.
ReplyDeleteI learned this on the way over, because he frequently turned to me and said, "You know, this is a large financial transaction and I've got Cheap Air Force Ones a great deal at stake." He must have used the same language about five times, so I eventually figured out that this was "a large financial transaction with a great deal at stake." From all indications he was under stress and he repeatedly asked, "What's our game Coach Purses On Clearance plan" In response, I found myself saying things like, "Well, we'll get in there and see how it goes." He kept shaking his head. "No," he blurted out. "We need more structure you Cheap Real Yeezys know, detail, specificity, meat pith." At the time, never having heard the word "pith," I was somewhat alarmed...
Bravo was Jordan Shoe Stores picked up by Peshawar Zalmi last year but could not join the team due to an injury. Pollard, the Multan Sultans all rounder, said he looked forward to playing in the PSL once again. Is an extremely competitive tournament, said Pollard. Facebook MK Outlet Online Twitter Pinterest InstagramI had dreams that I'd eaten sushi when I was pregnant," says Ginny Gallo Dowdakin of Cheap Air Forces Sleepy Hollow, Illinois. "I would wake up in a panic since I knew it wasn't allowed." Figuring out what you're permitted to eat and avoiding the forbidden foods can truly be a nightmare for moms to be. It seems like every day, there's a story in the news about yet another favorite food that's now off limits for Coach Outlet Clearance Sale pregnant women, leaving MK Outlet Sale you scared to take a bite of anything lest it be on the list.
ReplyDeleteLUNA PIER, MI (WTOL) Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Rescued kitten pulled from the mouth of a fox in northeast Ohio actually a bobcatRescued kitten pulled from the mouth of a fox in northeast Ohio actually Coach Outlet Purses On Clearance a bobcatUpdated: Saturday, September 22 2018 7:40 PM EDT2018 09 22 23:40:50 GMTA five month old kitten was rescued from certain death when a woman visiting Tappan Lake saw the kitten in the jaws of a fox. She chased the fox down and unknowingly rescued the bobcat. (Source: Lake Metroparks)A five month old Coach Outlet Online 80 OFF kitten was rescued from certain death when a woman visiting Tappan Lake saw the kitten in the jaws of a fox.
Members of several law enforcement agencies are lookingfor a man they said got into a scuffle with an officer and ran from a traffic stop Tuesday at 3:00 PM. Officials say it happened in theArdmore area near Sweet Springs Road and Brock Road. (WHNT) The Rocket Citycontinues to enjoy a stellar reputation with the Wall Street credit rating agencies.
Packers and Movers Bangalore - Reliable and Verified Household Shifting Service Providers Give Reasonable ###Packers and Movers Charges. Cheap and Best Office Relocation Compare Quotation for Assurance for Local and Domestic House Shifting and Get estimates today to save upto 20%, ***Read Customer Reviews - @ Packers And Movers Bangalore
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the article...You write very well...If you need backlinks please reach me on genuinehotelescorts@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteCall Girls in Jaipur
Call Girls in Jaipur
Call Girls in Jaipur
Call Girls in Delhi
Call Girls in Guwahati
Call Girls in Guwahati
Call Girls in Guwahati
Call Girls in Guwahati
Call Girls in Aerocity
Call Girls in Lucknow
Bangladesh Bank Admit Card Recently published. Candidate first & easily download the Bangladesh Bank Admit Card & on our Government official website : Bangladesh Bank Admit Card Student can download Bangladesh Bank Admit Card PDF File. https://allresultsall.com/bangladesh-bank-admit-card/
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the way you write...Please check my work as well
ReplyDeleteJaipur Call Girl
Jaipur Call Girl
Jaipur Call Girl
Delhi Call Girl
Guwahati Call Girl
Guwahati Call Girl
Guwahati Call Girl
Guwahati Call Girl
Aerocity Call Girl
Lucknow Call Girl
Get all Bangladesh education board result, Exam Routine, National University Result, HSC Result 2021, Alim Result 2021, JSC result 2021, HSC Admission Result, University Admission Circular, IPO Result 2021, Government Job in Bangladesh, and education news from our Government official website: Student or Candidate first & easily online University admission, Admit Card download, admission result, apply & download from our official website. https://allresultbd24.com
ReplyDelete20 General, Science and Technology Public University is published the gst university admission result 2021 on the official website which is- gstadmission.ac.bd.
ReplyDelete20 Public Universities are now form a cluster to take the admission test,. They will publish the guccho university admission test result on gstadmission ac bd as well as examresulthub.com
ReplyDeleteدا شاب مصري.. بيقدم محتوى مميز جدا فيما يخص التكنولوجيا والتقنية والكمبيوتر.
ReplyDeleteيبدو من الشرح انه واسع الاطلاع ومجتهد .. وعنده افكار كويسة.. واتوقع له مستقبل طيب.
ربنا يوفقه .. واتمنى تدعموه ب لايكات لقناته على اليوتيوب وبلوجر وفيس بوك .
كمبيوترانجي - COMPUTERENGi
blogger
facebook
cami avizesi - cami avizeleri - avize cami - no deposit bonus forex 2021 - takipçi satın al - takipçi satın al - takipçi satın al - takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/ - instagram beğeni satın al - instagram beğeni satın al - btcturk - tiktok izlenme satın al - sms onay - youtube izlenme satın al - no deposit bonus forex 2021 - tiktok jeton hilesi - tiktok beğeni satın al - binance - takipçi satın al - uc satın al - sms onay - sms onay - tiktok takipçi satın al - tiktok beğeni satın al - twitter takipçi satın al - trend topic satın al - youtube abone satın al - instagram beğeni satın al - tiktok beğeni satın al - twitter takipçi satın al - trend topic satın al - youtube abone satın al - takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/ - tiktok takipçi satın al - tiktok beğeni satın al - twitter takipçi satın al - trend topic satın al - youtube abone satın al - instagram beğeni satın al - perde modelleri - instagram takipçi satın al - takipçi satın al - instagram takipçi satın al - betboo
ReplyDeleteinstagram takipçi satın al
ReplyDeleteucuz takipçi
takipçi satın al
https://takipcikenti.com
https://ucsatinal.org
instagram takipçi satın al
https://perdemodelleri.org
https://yazanadam.com
instagram takipçi satın al
balon perdeler
petek üstü perde
mutfak tül modelleri
kısa perde modelleri
fon perde modelleri
tül perde modelleri
https://atakanmedya.com
https://fatihmedya.com
https://smmpaketleri.com
https://takipcialdim.com
https://yazanadam.com
yasaklı sitelere giriş
aşk kitapları
yabancı şarkılar
sigorta sorgula
https://cozumlec.com
word indir ücretsiz
tiktok jeton hilesi
rastgele görüntülü sohbet
erkek spor ayakkabı
fitness moves
gym workouts
https://marsbahiscasino.org
http://4mcafee.com
http://paydayloansonlineare.com
“It’s awesome designed for me to have a web page, which is valuable for my experience. 메이저사이트
ReplyDeleteHi there colleagues, its fantastic piece of writing concerning tutoringand fully defined, keep it up all the time.
ReplyDelete경마사이트
경마
Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. 카지노
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this useful information! This is really interesting information to read. Best high-quality Packing And Moving services at affordable prices within your budget.
ReplyDelete@ Mover and Packer
@ Packers and Movers Hyderabad
@ Packers and Movers Bangalore
Traditional bookstores have always existed on high streets, but in the digital age, the internet is proving to become a serious competitor to traditional brick and mortar stores. This article examines both sides of the coin and provides an appropriate insight into the phenomenon of shopping of books online. 메이저사이트추천
ReplyDeleteWhen did it start? The day I started surfing the Internet to read articles related to . I've been fond of seeing various sites related to 카지노사이트 around the world for over 10 years. Among them, I saw your site writing articles related to and I am very satisfied.
ReplyDeleteAhaa, its nice dialogue about this piece of writing at this place at this webpage,
ReplyDeleteI have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.
havanese dogs for sale
havanese puppies for sale
teacup havanese puppy
chocolate havanese puppy for sale
havanese puppy for sale
pomeranian puppies for sales
pomeranian for sale
teacup pomeranian for sale near me
pomeranians for sale near me
Hi, I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it ;) I am going to revisit yet
ReplyDeleteagain since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to
change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
teacup havanese puppies for sale
teacup havanese puppies for sale
pomeranian teacup for sale
doodle puppies
aussiedoodle puppies for sale
bernedoodle puppies for sale
goldendoodle puppies for sale
ragdoll kitten for sale
ragdoll kittens for sale
Good post. I certainly love this website.
ReplyDeleteContinue the good work!
mini goldendoodle for sale
mini bernedoodle puppies for sale
mini aussiedoodles for sale
ragdoll cat for sale
ragdoll cats for sale
havanese puppies for sale under $1,000
great dane puppies for sale
great dane puppy for sale
great dane puppies near me
Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after
ReplyDeletelooking at some of the posts I realized it’s new to me.
Regardless, I’m certainly happy I found it and I’ll be
book-marking it and checking back often!
great dane puppy for sale
great dane puppies for sale near me
goldendoodle for sale
ragdoll kitten near me
ragdoll kittens for sale near me
bernedoodles for sale
aussiedoodle for sale
havanese puppies for sale near me
https://www.redemptionbullies.com/
ReplyDeletehttps://thegorgeousdoodles.com/
https://www.fluffyhavanese.com/
https://thegorgeousragdolls.com/
https://www.pomeranianpuppiesforsales.com/
Decent data, profitable and phenomenal outline, as offer well done with smart thoughts and ideas, bunches of extraordinary data and motivation, both of which I require, on account of offer such an accommodating data here 토토사이트
ReplyDeleteI need to to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have got you bookmarked to check out new things you post. 파칭코사이트인포
ReplyDeleteI will recommend your website to everyone. You have a very good gloss. Write more high-quality articles. I support you. 바카라사이트
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us this important Content. I feel strongly about it and really enjoyed learning more about this topic. 텍사스홀덤사이트
ReplyDeleteThis is the post I was looking for 온라인바카라 I am very happy to finally read about the Thank you very much. Your post was of great help to me. If you are interested in the column I wrote, please visit my site .
ReplyDeleteRoyalcasino375
ReplyDelete