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Paintings

THE MAGIC WORLD OF STILLIFES
10 January 2007

Cet article se compose de 3 pages.

1 2 3

Isaac Soreau

Still-lives paintings became much popular throughout continental Europe during the 17^th Century as they represented beauty and religious symbols altogether, meaning that their owners could admire and interpret them at the same time.

The term "still-life" only appeared during the middle of the 17^th Century. Before 1650, people spoke of fruit, banquet or luncheon paintings. This works were much appreciated when one knows that the Dutch artist Ambrosius Bosschaert received 1000 guilders for a painting of flowers whereas the price of a portrait in Holland around 1625 was fixed at about 60 guilders. The story of still-life painting started in fact in Ancient Greece when Zeuxis painted raisins which were so realistically reproduced that birds would try to pilfer them.

The art of creating illusion was also much admired during the 14^thCentury, notably in Italy where several mural deception paintings were produced and during the 15^th Century when Flemish masters Jan van Eyck or Robert Campin introduced still-lives in their paintings. However, still-life painting began in earnest at the start of the 16^th Century.

Wybrand Hendriks
Jacob Caproens

Isaac Soreau

From then on, the representation of flowers, dead animals or objects became more symbolic as each thing had a religious meaning according to the Bible. For example, still-lifes with raisins, apples or pears represented the blood of Christ, his love for the Church or the softnes of his transformation into Man while a lobster represented his resurrection.

Balthasar van der Ast

There were also emblems and hidden religious and political symbols in these paintings. Moreover, there was a religious fracture between Catholics and Protestants, between the South and the North which induced many painters to become more allusive in their works. In addition, these paintings contained hidden proverbs or were destined to certain circles.

Fish still-lives were mainly produced in the Hague which had an important market, breakfast still-lives were a speciality in Haarlem while flowers were more in demand in Utrecht. Nevertheless, these paintings also reflected a change in mentality and thinking.

Deep economic changes occurred at the end of the 16^th Century in Holland and the Flanders which were under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty. With the development of overseas trade, traditional agriculture receded while the development of markets became spectacular.

Dutch and Flemish people became more accustomed to buying fruits and other foods and because of the new opulence, painters had a new approach towards their fetichism. Religious symbols thus became less important while wealth became the target of hidden criticisms.

In Holland notably, the trend was to oppose the traders and the peasants, the former representing economic prosperity and the latter the old world. Still, religious meanings kept being underlined such as in the representation of meat which could indicate a threat to faith, weak flesh or the ritual sacrifice of an animal.

Herman van der Myn

Kitchen scenes had also several meanings relating to the Last Supper, wealth, waste or eroticism depending on the representation of objects, food and servants.

The new opulence multiplied all kinds of desires which were also represented in such paintings. They sometime reflected avidity, concupiscence, pleasure, love, luxury, vice, vanity, laziness, sight, touch, smell, hearing and so on.

Attributed to Gerrit Willemsz. Horst

The representation of skulls in many paintings meant the shortness of life and the futility of wealth.

Oysters often represented vaginas while sugar meant spiritual good but also lust. Therefore, dozens of objects, fruits, flowers, insects, animals and other things had always a particular significance in these paintings.

They carried many stories and legends, religious, political, philosophical apart from being decorative and played a major part in the life of many people during the 17^th and 18^th Century. They also served to demonstrate the great skills of many painters such as

^th

all from Holland,

from Spain,

^th

from Italy,

^th

all Flemish

from France,

^th

from Germany.

This list is far from being complete.

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