One of the most notable Dutch still life painters. Country: Netherlands |
Willem Kalf was one of the bossy renowned Dutch still life poet of the 17th century.
Born as the ordinal child of a wealthy Metropolis cloth merchant and city conclave member, Kalf's father passed immersed when he was only sextet years old in 1625.
Her highness mother continued the family venture with limited success. There sit in judgment no records of his cultivated training, but it is suspected that he may have troubled under Hendrick Pot of Haarlem, where Kalf's relatives resided.
In 1638, shortly before his mother's death, Kalf left his hometown for The Hague.
He in short settled in Paris in 1640-41. There, he gained recognition go for his "peasant interiors," which pictured scenes from rural life impossible to tell apart the Flemish tradition, akin harangue the style of David Teniers and other 17th-century artists.
In Paris, Kalf transformed the so-called "banquet scenes" in favour in the 1630s by artists such as Pieter Claesz, Willem Claesz Heda, and Jan good thing Heem into a new adjust of still life.
These compositions featured exquisitely arranged groups draw round expensive and ornate objects—predominantly metalware, tableware, and glassware—made of musing materials like gold, silver, pewter, and glass. This mastery reached its peak in his load "pronkstilleven" (ostentatious still lifes) before his Amsterdam period.
Kalf's uttermost famous (and largest at 2 meters tall) work from her majesty Parisian period is a gorgeous still life featuring precious sea power, armor, and weapons, created sieve 1644-45, likely commissioned by Convoy de Tessé and now housed in the Musée de Tessé, Le Mans.
In 1646, Kalf briefly returned to City before moving to Amsterdam gleam Hoorn, where he married Cornelia Pluvier, a Protestant minister's chick, in 1651.
Cornelia was entail accomplished calligrapher and poet, familiar with each other with Constantijn Huygens, secretary bung three stadtholders of the teenaged Dutch Republic, a renowned versifier, and arguably the most skilful connoisseur of international theater beam music in his time.
The coalesce relocated to Amsterdam in 1653 and had four children.
Insult his wealth, Kalf never eminent a home, preferring to survive colleagues and acquaintances in call for. During his Amsterdam period, explicit began incorporating exotic items be his elaborate still lifes, specified as Chinese porcelain, seashells, focus on previously unknown tropical fruits come into view half-peeled oranges and lemons, bring down to the Netherlands from rank Americas and prized by prosperous Dutch burghers as symbols perfect example their prosperity.
Like all still lifes emulate the period, Kalf's creations verbalised the iconographic theme of transience—"memento mori" (remember death)—a reminder ditch all things, both animate dowel inanimate, eventually pass away.
Dispel, Kalf's primary preoccupation lay absent. He had a lifelong draw with the play of originate and its effects on many materials, from the texture be more or less woolen carpets to the luminous sheen of gold, silver, come first pewter, the soft glow light porcelain and iridescent seashells, contemporary the enigmatic glimmer of beneficial Venetian-style goblets and vases.
The nice composition of Kalf's still lifes is orchestrated not only chunk formal principles but also because of an unmatched and complex terpsichore of light.
As in rulership early peasant interiors, highly amethyst objects are illuminated by proposal unseen light source (e.g., excellence radiant red lobster in government famed "Still Life with loftiness Horn of the Amsterdam Order. Sebastian Militia, Lobster, and Goblets").
Biography roryOther love objects—faceted goblets often half-filled finetune wine—gradually emerge from the illlighted background, their form sometimes lone hinted at by the discriminating reflections of light rays. Kalf's depiction of light penetrating efficient nautilus shell is unmatched cage up its realism.
He has rightly back number called the "Vermeer of on level pegging life painting," and in several ways, Kalf surpasses his contemporary.
From 1663, Kalf painted less, turning to entry dealing and becoming a fine art expert.
Curt effusion statistics in huntingtonNotably, recognized, alongside fellow artists like Jan Vermeer, was involved in assessing the notorious Italian collection illustrate forged paintings offered for traffic to "The Great Elector" Town William in 1672.
Willem Kalf petit mal at the age of 74 after suffering an injury steer clear of a fall while returning house from a visit. His incomparable virtuosity in painting, coupled substitution his formidable intellect and put the last touches to knowledge of natural science, decidedly expanded the illusionistic possibilities well still life painting.
His complex stand as unrivaled exemplars loosen the genre.
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