Still Life: A Banqueting Scene - Research Paper Example

Still Life: A Banqueting Scene The Zeuxis raisins were painted with such artistic quality and expertise that realism surrounded it with perfection. The realistically produced raisins were so near to reality that birds would be deceived by their original look. This was the beginning of still life painting in ancient Greece. The reality creation with illusionary qualities was also present in the 14th and 15th century. The masters of illusionary paintings i.e. Flemish masters include Jan van Eyck, Campin etc. Their works involved the beginning hint or starting point of the still life painting. However, the actual rise to still life painting was developed in the 16th century. The idea of still life painting was developed long back but the term used to indicate this specific type of art was introduced in the mid 17th century. The dutch artists were specially famous for such paintings. Much of those paintings revolved around the concepts of fruits, food, banquet etc. Dutch artists were equally famous for their paintings of flowers (Martin et. Al., 1958). Still life work is distinct kind of art which beautifully portrays the reality of a certain time, event or scenario. This kind of art gives you an idea and reminds you of the people in the past. It gives an account of the whole procedures, ways, and attitudes and in depth information about the life of that particular time. Analyzing a still life painting helps in determining the society of that particular era, their living standards, economic situations and overall social life. Looking at a painting of still life art, we can see how the society looked like and if it was a wealthy society or not. Some people may think still life art is boring, but if they look to the vanitas art, then these people will know the value of still life art. Still Life: A Banqueting Scene was painted by Jan Davidsz De Heem during 1960s. He was a Dutch-born person with great artistic excellence. His 73 years life from 1606-1683/84 was full of magnificent paintings which won rewards in the form of money and fame. His paintings influenced a large proportion of still life painters on the following 2 generations after his era. He shifted to Antwerp with a passion to extend his art knowledge and share it with others having the potentials. The painters who were greatly influenced by his works included his son Cornelis de Heem and brother Jan Jansz. The work of Cornelis may easily be confused with the work of Jan Davidsz de Heem due to the immense similarity between their works. The influence of his paintings and artistic style was so strong to change and even completely alter the style of a painter. His distinct values and standards of handling every subject he chooses is of importance to the learners and new artists. The Banqueting Scene and other art works of the similar genre were popular and fashionable at that time, the lavish food varieties and complex arrangements of the meals were painted with great expertise to give different concepts to the viewers. The table is full of meal including citrus fruits, tableware and luxurious pots. The table, however, in this particular painting is not arranged in a systematic or traditional manner. It is rather portrayed as a disorderly arranged meal. His excellence in painting leads him to give an impression of different textures, metals and light effects effectively. He uses colors in a way that provides a distinct or blurred position to the objects painted. For instance, the clock in this painting is less prominent than other objects like the chair or the tableware. The shriveling lemon peel, the wooden texture of the chair, the unevenness of the cloth and the metallic texture of pots are some examples of his mastery in the field of painting and specifically in still life painting (Rubin, 2000). The originality of the work and the meaningfulness of the symbols can be appreciated for years. The Dutch society was not confined to morbidity and such emotions in the 17th century. In fact, it was quite opposite to this. The society of that era was full of dangers of death as the child mortality rates were higher than usual and expected life for adults was lower than average. Keeping this in view the extreme emphasis on hunger, food and excess consumption of such items is not peculiar. This portrayal of a dinner with so many lavish items provides a celebratory view. However, if we look closely to other symbols like the clock kept in the dark or background and the napkin being dropped and the half lemon left on the table indicate the urgency of the diner to leave. The urgency of his departure is apparent from these and other symbols as the meal is fresh and ready to be eaten but there are no instances of the meal being eaten. The uncertain return and the unknown reason for the diner to leave urgently leaves the unanswered questions in mind about the diner’s return, the reason for leaving and the uncertainty of events that resulted in the hasty departure. Other paintings of Jan Davidsz de Heem also carry an important position in the history of still life art. A table of desserts is one of the pieces which provide the same explanation of the meal and table arrangement with symbols hidden and disclosed magnificently. The blue clock strip which is not apparent but a closer look identifies its existence on the table and reminds about the evocation of time. The still life paintings are not limited to the works of Jan Davidsz de Heem but there are some other great painters in the field including the creator/painter of “the fruit and vegetable seller” Louise Moillon. The work of Moillon is closer to the human reality and most of the works contain fruits and their colors as symbols of existing and prevailing conditions in the society like in the work “Basket of Plums and Basket of Strawberries”. The name of Abraham Hendrickz van Beyeren, a French artist, is also noticeable in the still life art arena. “Still Life with Fruit and Shellfish”, “Still Life with Lobster and Still Life with Fruit are some of the examples of his works which are closer to the work of Davidsz de Heem’s Still Life: A Banqueting Scene. People like still life paintings for the element of reality and originality in the paintings. The admirable factor in the still life painting is the exposure to the society through symbols, light effects, color effects, texture representation using strokes and so on. Jan Davidsz Heem’s paintings are of particular importance for the still life art as many painters after his age were influenced by the style, genre and expert values of his art works. He is the painter who has influenced the whole course of still life art by introducing new techniques of giving meaning to the symbols, objects and colors. His paintings may be admired for their vastness in developing ideas and portraying reality thorough symbolism. However, only few artists were able to completely understand and adopt his style like his son. Bibliography: Martin, John R, Christina Hedström, Gerald Taylor, and Ingvar Bergström. "Review of Dutch Still-Life Painting in the Seventeenth Century." Art Bulletin. 40.3 (1958). Print. Rubin, Wolf R. Keys to Painting: Textures & Surfaces. Cincinnati, OH: North Light Books, 2000. Print. Catalogue of the Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Charleston, S.C: Bibliolife, 2009. Print. Read More