The emergence of the “still life” genre in the Netherlands is a gift from Protestantism. In Catholic times, the main customer for artists was the Church, and, naturally, painting was limited to religious and edifying subjects. Calvinism did not recognize icons and church art in general. The painters were looking for a new market, and found it in the houses of innkeepers, merchants and farmers.

In Holland, paintings depicting objects were called “stilleven”, which can be translated both as “still nature, model”, and as “quiet life”, which very accurately conveys the specifics Dutch still life.
The focus of the artists' attention came down from heaven to earth; now they were interested not in pious reflections, but in a close study of the details of the material world. But in the Creation they looked for the Creator.

“The Lord gave us two books: the book of Scripture and the book of Creation. From the first we learn about His mercy as the Savior, from the second - about the greatness of the Creator,” wrote the medieval philosopher Alan of Lille. Creation also participates in the history of salvation: man fell through the apple, and through bread and wine he regains salvation. The symbolism contained in the image also remains from previous traditions.

The first stilleven are simple - bread, a glass of wine, fruit, fish, bacon. But all the objects in them are symbolic: the fish is a symbol of Jesus Christ; meat - mortal flesh; the knife is a symbol of sacrifice; lemon is a symbol of unquenched thirst; a few nuts in the shell - a soul shackled by sin; the apple reminds of the Fall; wine or grapes are a symbol of Blood; bread is a symbol of the Flesh of Christ. Insects, human skulls, broken dishes and dead game, often included in the composition of the paintings, remind us of the frailty of earthly existence. A shell is a shell left behind by a creature that once lived in it; withered flowers are a symbol of death. A butterfly born from a cocoon means resurrection.

As a result of the activities of the Dutch East India Company, which equipped merchant ships for Far East, Dutch shops sold spices, Chinese porcelain, silk and other exotic goods. In addition, Dutch colonies were formed at the Cape of Good Hope, in Indonesia, Suriname, the Antilles, and throughout Asia. The colonies enriched the country, and still lifes began to be filled with earthly wealth: carpet tablecloths, silver goblets, mother-of-pearl. Simple food was replaced by oysters, ham, exotic fruits. Symbolism gives way to naive admiration for the creation of human hands.

Feature Dutch painting there was a specialization of artists by genre. Within the still life genre, there was even a division into separate themes, and different cities had their own favorite types of still life, and if a painter happened to move to another city, he often abruptly changed his art and began to paint those varieties of the genre that were popular in that place.

Haarlem became the birthplace of characteristic appearance Dutch still life - “breakfast”. The paintings of Peter Claes depict a laid table with dishes and dishes. A tin plate, a herring or ham, a bun, a glass of wine, a crumpled napkin, a lemon or a branch of grapes, cutlery - the meager and precise selection of items creates the impression of a table set for one person.

The presence of a person is indicated by the “picturesque” disorder introduced into the arrangement of things, and the atmosphere of a cozy residential interior, achieved by the transmission of a light-air environment. The dominant gray-brownish tone unites objects into a single picture, while the still life itself becomes a reflection of a person’s individual tastes and lifestyle.

Another Haarlem resident, Willem Heda, worked in the same vein as Klas. The coloring of his paintings is still to a greater extent subordinated to tonal unity, it is dominated by a gray-silver tone, set by the image of silver or pewter utensils. For this colorful restraint, the paintings began to be called “monochrome breakfasts.”

In Utrecht, lush and elegant floral still life developed. Its main representatives are Jan Davids de Heem, Justus van Huysum and his son Jan van Huysum, who became especially famous for his careful writing and light coloring.

The University of Leiden created and improved the type of philosophical still life "vanitas" (vanity of vanities). In the paintings of Harmen van Steenwijk and Jan Davids de Heem, objects embodying earthly glory and wealth (armor, books, attributes of art, precious utensils) or sensual pleasures (flowers, fruits) are juxtaposed with a skull or an hourglass as a reminder of the transience of life.

In the middle of the century, the theme of modest “breakfasts” was transformed into luxurious “banquets” and “desserts” in the works of Willem van Elst, Willem Kalf and Abraham van Beyeren. Gilded goblets, Chinese porcelain and Delft faience, carpet tablecloth, southern fruits emphasize the taste for grace and wealth that established itself in Dutch society in the middle of the century. Accordingly, “monochrome” breakfasts are being replaced by a juicy, colorfully rich, golden-warm flavor.

Using the example of the painting “Breakfast with Ham” by Pieter Claes, let’s talk about a Dutch still life.
It shows a table covered with a white tablecloth. In the center of the still life is a dish with pink ham. The ham has a freshly cut edge. A knife with a beautiful carved handle lies nearby on the same dish. To the right of the dish you can see an olive branch with peaches on it. Black dots can be seen on the surface of the fruit. These are worm tracks. To the left of the dish is a glass of wine. Light reflections on the walls of a glass glass enliven the image. Next to the glass is a copper jug ​​with an open lid. The grape branch, depicted next to the glass and jug, seems to encircle both vessels. On the edge of the table, the artist depicted a metal plate with bread, the golden crust of which attracts the eye. Walnuts are scattered on the white tablecloth, some of which are already cracked. The apparent disorder suggests a sense of recent human presence.

With amazing skill, the artist conveys the color of each object. A restrained grayish-golden olive tonal palette unifies the pieces. Each of the objects is located so that the viewer can perceive its texture, volume, and the smallest details. The artist perfectly conveys the texture of each object: the velvety of peaches, the matte-moist surface of grapes, the transparency of glass, the juiciness of ham. The rounded contours of the dishes, glasses and vessels intersect, and their smooth rhythm conveys harmony and integrity. When looking at the picture, there is a feeling of unstable balance. The plate of bread is about to fall. The compositional center is undoubtedly the dish with ham. This is the brightest spot in the picture. The artist depicts this subject realistically. The tablecloth does not completely cover the entire table. Where the tablecloth does not reach, a simple wooden table is visible, without any embellishment. Using color contrast, the artist exposes reality.

Dutch artists achieved great achievements in creating art of a realistic direction, naturally depicting reality, precisely because such art was in demand in Dutch society.

For Dutch artists, easel painting was important in art. The canvases of the Dutch of this time do not have the same dimensions as the works of Rubens, and they decide preferably not monumental-decorative tasks, the clients of the Dutch painters were envoys of the ruling leadership organization, but also the second class - burghers and artisans.

One of the main concerns of Dutch painters was man and the environment. The main place in Dutch painting was the everyday genre and portrait, landscape and still life. The better the painters impartially and deeply depicted the natural world, the more numerous the significant and demanding subjects of their work were.

Dutch painters produced works for sale and sold their paintings at fairs. Their works were bought mainly by people from upper strata society rich peasants, artisans, merchants, owners of factories. Ordinary people could not afford this, and looked at and admired the paintings with pleasure. The general disposition of art in the heyday of the 17th century, deprived such powerful consumers as the court, the nobility and the church.

The works were produced in a small format, based on the modest and not large-sized furnishings of Dutch houses. One of the favorite pastimes of the Dutch was easel painting, since it was receptive to reflect the reality of actions with great reliability and in a variety of ways. The paintings of the Dutch depict the reality of their country, close to them; they wanted to see what was very familiar to them - the sea and ships, the nature of their land, their home, the action of everyday life, the things that surrounded them everywhere.

One important attraction to learning environment appeared in Dutch painting in such natural forms and with such clear continuity as nowhere else in Dutch art of these times. In connection with this, the depth of its scale is also connected: portraits and landscapes, still lifes and everyday genres were formed in it. A few of them are still life, household picture It was the first ones that developed in Holland in mature forms and flourished to such an extent that they became the only example of this genre.

In the first two decades, the main mood of searching for the main Dutch artists, counteracting the right artistic directions, - the attraction to the correct reproduction of reality, to the accuracy of its expression. It was not by coincidence that the artists of Holland were attracted by the art of Caravaggio. The work of the so-called Utrecht Caravaggists - G. Honthorst, H. Terbruggen, D. Van Baburen - showed an impact on Dutch artistic culture.

Dutch painters in the 20s - 30s of the 17th century created main view a suitable small-figure painting depicting scenes from the life of ordinary peasants and their everyday activities. In the 40s - 50s household painting is one of the main genres, the authors of which in history have acquired the name “little Dutch”, either because of the artlessness of the plot, or because of the small size of the paintings, or maybe for both. The images of peasants in the paintings are covered with traits of good-natured humor Adriana van Ostade. He was a democratic writer of everyday life and an entertaining storyteller. Jan Steen.

One of the major portrait painters of Holland, the founder of the Dutch realistic portrait was Franz Hals. He created his fame with group portraits of shooting guilds, in which he expressed the ideals of the young republic, feelings of freedom, equality, and camaraderie.

The pinnacle of creativity Dutch realism is Harmens van Rijn Rembrandt, distinguished by its extraordinary vitality and emotionality, deep humanity of images, and great thematic breadth. He painted historical, biblical, mythological and everyday paintings, portraits and landscapes, and was one of the greatest masters of etching and drawing. But no matter what technique he worked with, the center of his attention was always the person, his inner world. He often found his heroes among the Dutch poor. In his works, Rembrandt combined the strength and penetration of psychological characteristics with exceptional mastery of painting, in which neat tones of chiaroscuro acquire the main importance.

During the first third of the 17th century, the views of the Dutch realistic landscape emerged, which flourished in the middle of the century. The landscape of the Dutch masters is not nature in general, as in the paintings of the classicists, but a national, specifically Dutch landscape: windmills, desert dunes, canals with boats gliding along them in the summer and with skaters in the winter. The artists sought to convey the atmosphere of the season, humid air and space.

Still life has developed prominently in Dutch painting and is distinguished by its small size and character. Peter Claes And Willem Heda most often they depicted so-called breakfasts: dishes with ham or pie on a relatively modestly served table. The recent presence of a person is palpable in the disorder and naturalness with which the things that have just served him are arranged. But this disorder is only apparent, since the composition of each still life is carefully thought out. In a skillful arrangement, objects are shown in such a way that one feels the inner life of things; it is not for nothing that the Dutch called still life “still leven” - “quiet life”, and not “nature morte” - “dead nature”.

Still life. Peter Claes and Willem Heda

Subtlety and truthfulness in recreating reality are combined by the Dutch masters with keen sense the beauty revealed in any of its phenomena, even the most inconspicuous and everyday. This trait of the Dutch artistic genius manifested itself perhaps most clearly in still life; it is no coincidence that this genre was a favorite in Holland.

The Dutch called still life "stilleven", which means "quiet life", and this word expresses incomparably more accurately the meaning that Dutch painters put into the depiction of things than "nature morte" - dead nature. In inanimate objects they saw a special, hidden life associated with the life of a person, with his way of life, habits, and tastes. Dutch painters created the impression of natural “mess” in the arrangement of things: they showed a cut pie, a peeled lemon with the peel hanging in a spiral, an unfinished glass of wine, a burning candle, an open book - it always seems that someone touched these objects, just used them , the invisible presence of a person is always felt.

Leading masters of Dutch still life half XVII centuries were Pieter Claes (1597/98-1661) and Willem Heda (1594-ca. 1680). A favorite theme of their still lifes is the so-called “breakfasts”. In "Breakfast with Lobster" by V. Kheda, the objects various shapes and materials - coffee pot, glass, lemon, earthenware dish, silver plate, etc. - are compared with each other so as to reveal the characteristics and attractiveness of each. Using a variety of techniques, Heda perfectly conveys the material and the specificity of their texture; Thus, reflections of light play differently on the surface of glass and metal: on glass - light, with sharp outlines, on metal - pale, matte, on a gilded glass - shining, bright. All elements of the composition are united by light and color - a grayish-green color scheme.

In “Still Life with a Candle” by P. Klass, not only the accuracy of the reproduction of the material qualities of objects is remarkable - the composition and lighting give them great emotional expressiveness.

The still lifes of Klass and Kheda are filled with a special mood that brings each other closer together - this is a mood of intimacy and comfort, giving rise to the idea of ​​​​the well-established and calm life of a burgher's house, where prosperity reigns and where the care of human hands and attentive eyes of the owner is felt in everything. Dutch painters affirm the aesthetic value of things, and still life, as it were, indirectly glorifies the way of life with which their existence is inextricably linked. Therefore, it can be considered as one of artistic embodiments important theme of Dutch art - the theme of the life of a private person. She received her main decision in genre picture.[&&] Rotenberg I. E. Western European art XVII V. Moscow, 1971;

In the second half of the 17th century, changes took place in Dutch society: the bourgeoisie’s desire for aristocracy increased. Klas and Heda's modest "Breakfasts" give way to rich "desserts" Abraham van Beijern And Willem Kalf, which included spectacular earthenware dishes, silver vessels, precious goblets and shells in still lifes. Compositional structures become more complex, and colors become more decorative. Subsequently, still life loses its democracy, intimacy, its spirituality and poetry. It turns into a magnificent decoration for the homes of high-ranking customers. For all their decorativeness and mastery of execution, the late still lifes anticipate the decline of the great Dutch realistic painting, which began at the beginning of the 18th century and was caused by the social degeneration of the Dutch bourgeoisie in the last third of the 17th century, the spread of new trends in art associated with the bourgeoisie’s attraction to the tastes of the French nobility. Dutch art is losing ties with the democratic tradition, losing its realistic basis, losing its national identity and entering a period of long decline.

Still life ("Stilleven" - which means "quiet life" in Dutch) - is a unique and quite popular branch of Dutch painting. Dutch still life painting of the 17th century is characterized by the narrow specialization of Dutch masters within the genre. The theme "Flowers and Fruits" usually includes a variety of insects. "Hunting trophies" are, first of all, hunting trophies - killed birds and game. "Breakfasts" and "Desserts", as well as images of fish - alive and asleep, various birds - are only some of the most famous topics still lifes. Taken together, these individual plots characterize the keen interest of the Dutch in the plots Everyday life, and their favorite activities, and passion for the exoticism of distant lands (the compositions contain outlandish shells and fruits). Often in works with motifs of “living” and “dead” nature there is a symbolic subtext that is easily understandable to an educated viewer of the 17th century.

Thus, the combination of individual objects could serve as a hint of the frailty of earthly existence: fading roses, an incense burner, a candle, a clock; or associated with habits condemned by morality: splinters, smoking pipes; or indicated a love affair; writing, musical instruments, brazier. There is no doubt that the meaning of these compositions is much broader than their symbolic content.

Dutch still lifes attract, first of all, their artistic expression, completeness, the ability to reveal the spiritual life of the objective world. Preferring large-sized paintings with an abundance of all kinds of objects, Dutch painters limit themselves to a few objects of contemplation, striving for the utmost compositional and color unity.

Still life is one of the genres in which Dutch national traits appeared especially clearly. Still lifes depicting utensils of modest use, so common in Dutch painting and very rare in Flemish painting, or still lifes with household items of the wealthy classes. Still lifes by Pieter Claes and Willem Heda, shrouded in cold diffused light, with an almost monochrome color scheme, or later still lifes by Willem Kalf, where, at the will of the artist, golden lighting brings to life the forms and vibrant colors of objects from the twilight. They are all characterized by common national features that will not allow them to be mixed with paintings of another school, including the related Flemish one. In Dutch still life there is always a feeling of calm contemplation, and a special love for conveying real forms of the tangibly material world.

De Heem gained worldwide recognition for his magnificent images of flowers and fruits. He combined the detail of the image down to the smallest detail with a brilliant choice of colors and refined taste in composition. He painted flowers in bouquets and vases, in which butterflies and insects often fluttered, flower wreaths in niches, windows and images of Madonnas in gray tones, garlands of fruit, still lifes with glasses filled with wine, grapes and other fruits and products. Hem masterfully used the possibilities of color and achieved high degree transparency, his images of inanimate nature are completely realistic. His paintings are in almost all major art galleries. Still life painting, which was distinguished by its character, became widespread in 17th-century Holland. Dutch artists chose a wide variety of objects for their still lifes, knew how to arrange them perfectly, reveal the characteristics of each object and its inner life, inextricably linked with human life. The 17th century Dutch painters Pieter Claes (c. 1597 - 1661) and Willem Heda (1594 - 1680/1682) painted numerous versions of “breakfasts”, depicting hams, ruddy buns, blackberry pies, fragile glass glasses half filled with wine on the table, with amazing skill conveying the color, volume, texture of each item. The recent presence of a person is noticeable in the disorder, the randomness of the arrangement of things that have just served him. But this disorder is only apparent, since the composition of each still life is strictly thought out and found. A restrained grayish-golden, olive tonal palette unites objects and gives a special sonority to those pure colors that emphasize the freshness of a freshly cut lemon or the soft silk of a blue ribbon. Over time, the “breakfasts” of the still life masters, painters Claes and Heda give way to the “desserts” of the Dutch artists Abraham van Beyeren (1620/1621-1690) and Willem Kalf (1622-1693). Beyeren's still lifes are strict in composition, emotionally rich, and colorful. Throughout his life, Willem Kalf painted in a free manner and democratic “kitchens” - pots, vegetables and aristocratic still lifes in the selection of exquisite precious objects, full of restrained nobility, like silver vessels, cups, shells saturated with the internal combustion of colors. IN further development still life follows the same paths as everyone else Dutch art, losing its democracy, its spirituality and poetry, its charm. Still life turns into decoration for the home of high-ranking customers. For all their decorativeness and skillful execution, the late still lifes anticipate the decline of Dutch painting. Social degeneration and the well-known aristocratization of the Dutch bourgeoisie in the last third of the 17th century give rise to a tendency towards convergence with the aesthetic views of the French nobility and lead to idealization artistic images, their grinding. Art is losing ties with the democratic tradition, losing its realistic basis and entering a period of long-term decline. Severely exhausted in the wars with England, Holland is losing its position as a great trading power and a major artistic center.

Willem Heda (c. 1594 - c. 1682) - one of the first masters of the Dutch still life XVII century, whose works were highly valued by his contemporaries. Particularly popular in Holland was this type of painting called “breakfast”. They were created to suit every taste: from the rich to the more modest. The painting “Breakfast with Crab” is distinguished by its large size, which is uncharacteristic of a Dutch still life (Appendix I). The overall color scheme of the work is cold, silver-gray with a few pinkish and brown spots. Kheda exquisitely depicted a set table on which the items that make up breakfast are arranged in carefully thought out disorder. On the platter lies a crab, depicted with all its peculiarities, next to it is a yellowing lemon, the gracefully cut rind of which, curling, hangs down. On the right are green olives and a delicious bun with a golden crust. Glass and metal vessels add solidity to the still life; their color almost merges with the overall palette.

Natalia MARKOVA,
Head of the Graphics Department of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. A, S, Pushkin

Still life in 17th century Holland

We can say that time acted like a camera lens: with a change in focal length, the scale of the image changed until only objects remained in the frame, and the interior and figures were pushed out of the picture. “Still life frames” can be found in many paintings by Dutch artists of the 16th century. It is easy to imagine the set table from the “Family Portrait” by Martin van Heemskerck (c. 1530) as an independent painting. State museums, Kassel) or a vase with flowers from the composition of Jan Brueghel the Elder. Jan Brueghel himself did something like this, writing at the very beginning of the 17th century. the first independent flower still lifes. They appeared around 1600 - this time is considered to be the date of birth of the genre.

Martin van Heemskerk. Family portrait. Fragment. OK. 1530. State Museums, Kassel.

At that moment O there was no wa to define it yet. The term “still life” originated in France in the 18th century. and literally translated means “dead nature”, “dead nature” (nature morte). In Holland, paintings depicting objects were called “stilleven,” which can be translated both as “still nature, model,” and as “quiet life,” which much more accurately conveys the specifics of Dutch still life. But this general concept came into use only from 1650, and before that time the paintings were called according to the subject of the image: b lumentopf - a vase with flowers, banketje - a set table, fruytage - fruits, toebackje - still lifes with smoking accessories, doodshoofd - paintings with a skull. Already from this listing it is clear how great the variety of objects depicted was. Indeed, the entire objective world around them seemed to spill out onto the paintings of the Dutch artists.

Abraham van Beuren. Still life with lobsters. XVII century. Kunsthaus, Zurich

In art, this meant a revolution no less than that which the Dutch made in the economic and social sphere, winning independence from the power of Catholic Spain and creating the first democratic state. While their contemporaries in Italy, France, and Spain were focused on creating huge religious compositions for church altars, paintings and frescoes on subjects of ancient mythology for palace halls, the Dutch painted small paintings with views of corners of their native landscape, dances at a village festival or a home concert in a burgher’s house, scenes in a rural tavern, on the street or in a meeting house, laid tables with breakfast or dessert, that is, a “low” nature, unpretentious, not overshadowed by the ancient or Renaissance poetic tradition, except perhaps contemporary Dutch poetry. The contrast with the rest of Europe was stark.

Paintings were rarely created to order, but were mostly freely sold in markets for everyone and were intended to decorate rooms in the houses of city residents, and even of richer villagers. Later, in the 18th and XIX centuries, when life in Holland became more difficult and scarce, these home painting collections were widely sold at auction and eagerly purchased for royal and aristocratic collections throughout Europe, from where they eventually migrated to largest museums peace. When in the middle of the 19th century. artists everywhere turned to depicting the reality around them, paintings by Dutch masters of the 17th century. served as a model for them in all genres.

Jan Venix. Still life with a white peacock. 1692. State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

A feature of Dutch painting was the specialization of artists by genre. Within the still life genre, there was even a division into separate themes, and different cities had their own favorite types of still life, and if a painter happened to move to another city, he often dramatically changed his art and began to paint those varieties of the genre that were popular in that place.

Haarlem became the birthplace of the most characteristic type of Dutch still life - the “breakfast”. The paintings of Peter Claes depict a laid table with dishes and dishes. A tin plate, a herring or ham, a bun, a glass of wine, a crumpled napkin, a lemon or a branch of grapes, cutlery - the meager and precise selection of items creates the impression of a table set for one person. The presence of a person is indicated by the “picturesque” disorder introduced into the arrangement of things, and the atmosphere of a cozy residential interior, achieved by the transmission of a light-air environment. The dominant gray-brownish tone unites objects into a single picture, while the still life itself becomes a reflection of a person’s individual tastes and lifestyle.

Another Haarlem resident, Willem Heda, worked in the same vein as Klas. The coloring of his paintings is even more subordinated to tonal unity; it is dominated by a gray-silver tone, set by the image of silver or pewter utensils. For this colorful restraint, the paintings began to be called “monochrome breakfasts.”

Abraham van Beuren. Breakfast. 17th century Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin, Moscow

In Utrecht, lush and elegant floral still life developed. Its main representatives are Jan Davids de Heem, Justus van Huysum and his son Jan van Huysum, who became especially famous for his careful writing and light coloring.

In The Hague, the center of marine fishing, Pieter de Putter and his student Abraham van Beyeren perfected the depiction of fish and other sea inhabitants; the color of their paintings shimmers with the brilliance of scales, in which spots of pink, red, and blue colors flash. The University of Leiden created and improved the type of philosophical still life "vanitas" (vanity of vanities). In the paintings of Harmen van Steenwijk and Jan Davids de Heem, objects embodying earthly glory and wealth (armor, books, attributes of art, precious utensils) or sensual pleasures (flowers, fruits) are juxtaposed with a skull or an hourglass as a reminder of the transience of life. A more democratic “kitchen” still life arose in Rotterdam in the works of Floris van Schoten and Francois Reykhals, and his best achievements are associated with the names of the brothers Cornelis and Herman Saftleven.

In the middle of the century, the theme of modest “breakfasts” was transformed in the works of Willem van Aalst, Jurian van Streck and especially Willem Kalf and Abraham van Beyeren into luxurious “banquets” and “desserts”. Gilded goblets, Chinese porcelain and Delft faience, carpet tablecloth, southern fruits emphasize the taste for grace and wealth that established itself in Dutch society in the middle of the century. Accordingly, “monochrome” breakfasts are being replaced by a juicy, colorfully rich, golden-warm flavor. The influence of Rembrandt's chiaroscuro makes the colors in Kalf's paintings glow from within, poeticizing the objective world.

Willem Kalf. Still life with a nautilus cup and a Chinese porcelain bowl. Thyssen Museum - Bornemisza, Madrid

The masters of depicting “hunting trophies” and “poultry yards” were Jan-Baptiste Wenix, his son Jan Wenix and Melchior de Hondecoeter. This type of still life became especially widespread in the second half - the end of the century in connection with the aristocracy of the burghers: the establishment of estates and the entertainment of hunting. Painting two latest artists shows an increase in decorativeness, color, and the desire for external effects.

The amazing ability of Dutch painters to convey the material world in all its richness and diversity was appreciated not only by contemporaries, but also by Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries; they saw in still lifes, first of all and only this brilliant mastery of conveying reality. However, for the Dutch themselves in the 17th century, these paintings were full of meaning; they offered food not only for the eyes, but also for the mind. The paintings entered into a dialogue with the audience, telling them important moral truths, reminding them of the deceitfulness of earthly joys, the futility of human aspirations, directing thoughts to philosophical reflections on the meaning of human life.

Today we will meet one of the best masters Dutch luxurious still life BY WILLEM KALF 1619-1693

Willem Kalf was the sixth child in the family of a wealthy Rotterdam cloth merchant and member of the Rotterdam city council. Willem's father died in 1625, when the boy was 6 years old. The mother continued the family business, but without much success.

There is no information about which artist Kalf studied with; perhaps his teacher was Hendrik Poth from Haarlem, where the Kalfs' relatives lived. Shortly before his mother's death in 1638, Willem left hometown and moved to The Hague, and then in 1640-41. settled in Paris.

There, thanks to their " peasant interiors ", written in the Flemish tradition, close to the work of David Teniers and other artists of the 17th century, Kalf quickly gained recognition.

In his rustic interiors, human figures were more in the background, and all the viewer's attention was concentrated on well-lit, colorful and artfully laid out fruits, vegetables and various household items.

Here he created new uniform a skillfully grouped still life with expensive, richly decorated objects (mostly bottles, plates, glasses) made of light-reflecting materials - gold, silver, tin or glass. This artist’s skill reached its peak in the Amsterdam period of his work in the mesmerizing “ LUXURY STILL LIFE»

Still life with a drinking horn belonging to the Guild of Archers of St. Sebastian, a lobster and glasses - Willem Kalf. Around 1653.

This still life is one of the most famous.

It was created in 1565 for the guild of Amsterdam archers. When the artist worked on this still life, the horn was still in use during guild meetings.

This wonderful vessel is made of buffalo horn, the fastening is made of silver, if you look closely, you can see miniature figures of people in the design of the horn - this scene tells us about the suffering of St. Sebastian, patron of archers.

The tradition of adding peeled lemon to Rhine wine came from the fact that the Dutch considered this type of wine too sweet.

The lobster, the wine horn with its sparkling silver filigree rim, the clear glasses, the lemon and the Turkish carpet are rendered with such amazing care that the illusion arises that they are real and can be touched with your hand.

The placement of each item is chosen with such care that the group as a whole forms a harmony of color, shape and texture. Warm light enveloping objects gives them the dignity of precious jewelry, and their rarity, splendor and whimsicality reflect the refined tastes of Dutch collectors in the 17th century - a time when still life paintings were extremely popular.

Still life with a jug and fruit. 1660

In 1646, Willem Kalf returned to Rotterdam for some time, then moved to Amsterdam and Hoorn, where in 1651 he married Cornelia Plouvier, daughter of a Protestant minister.

Cornelia was a famous calligrapher and poetess, she was friends with Constantijn Huygens, the personal secretary of the three stadtholders of the young Dutch Republic, a respected poet and probably the most experienced expert on world theater and musical art of its time.

In 1653 married couple moved to Amsterdam, where they had four children. Despite his wealth, Kalf never acquired his own home.

Still life with a teapot.

During the Amsterdam period, Kalf began to include exotic objects in his perfect still lifes: Chinese vases, shells and hitherto unseen tropical fruits - half-peeled oranges and lemons. These items were brought to the Netherlands from America; they were favorite objects of prestige for the wealthy burghers, who flaunted their wealth.

Still life with nautilus and Chinese bowl.

The Dutch loved and understood a good interior, comfortable table setting, where everything you need is at hand, convenient utensils - in the material world that surrounds a person.

In the center we see an elegant nautilus cup made from a shell, as well as a beautiful Chinese vase. On the outside it is decorated with eight relief figures representing the eight immortals in Taoism, the cone on the lid is the outline of a Buddhist lion.
This still life is complemented by a traditional Kalfa Persian carpet and a lemon with a thin spiral of peel.

The pyramid of objects drowns in a haze of twilight, sometimes only light reflections indicate the shape of things. Nature created a shell, a craftsman turned it into a goblet, an artist painted a still life, and we enjoy all this beauty. After all, being able to see beauty is also a talent.

Still life with a glass goblet and fruit. 1655.

Like all still lifes of that time, Kalf’s creations were intended to express the iconographic idea of ​​frailty - “memento mori” (“remember death”), to serve as a warning that all things, living and inanimate, are ultimately transitory.

Still life with fruit and a nautilus cup.1660g

For Kalf, however, something else was important. All his life he had a keen interest in the play of light and the effects of light on various materials, starting with the texture of woolen carpets, the bright shine of metal objects made of gold, silver or tin, the soft glow of porcelain and multi-colored shells, and ending with the mysterious shimmer of the edges of the most beautiful glasses and vases in the Venetian style.

Still life with a Chinese tureen.

Dessert. Hermitage.

Before entering the Hermitage in 1915, the painting “Dessert” was part of the collection of the famous Russian geographer and traveler P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, a great connoisseur and lover of Dutch and Flemish art.

A bright beam of light pulls out from the semi-darkness a bowl of fruit, a peach on a silver tray and a crumpled white tablecloth. The glass and silver goblets still reflect the light, and the thin flute glass filled with wine almost blends into the background.

The artist masterfully conveys the texture of each item: a glass, a painted faience plate, a gilded goblet, an oriental carpet, a snow-white napkin. The painting shows the strong influence that Rembrandt’s painting had on Kalf: objects are shown against a dark background, bright light as if it revives them, enveloping them in the warmth of golden rays.

Still Life with a Porcelain Vase, Silver-gilt Ewer, and Glasses

Pronk Still Life with Holbein Bowl, Nautilus Cup, Glass Goblet and Fruit Dish

The composition of Kalf's still lifes, thought out to the smallest detail, is ensured not only by specific rules, but also by unique and complex directionSveta.

Valuable objects—cut goblets, often half filled with wine—appear from the darkness of the background gradually, after some time. Often their shape is only surprisingly guessed in the reflection of rays of light. No one except Kalf managed to show the light penetrating through the nautilus shell so realistically. Absolutely rightly, Kalf is called the “Vermeer of still life painting,” and in some places Kalf surpassed him.

Since 1663 Kalf wrote less, he took up the art trade and became a sought-after art expert.

Willem Kalf died at the age of 74, injured in a fall on the way home while returning from a visit.

Thanks to his unique visual abilities, coupled with his excellent education and extensive knowledge of the natural sciences, he significantly expanded the illusionistic possibilities of still life. His creations are unsurpassed examples of this art.