Part of a series which introduces key artists and movements in art history,
this book deals with Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin. Each title in the series
contains 48 full-page colour plates, accompanied by extensive notes, and
numerous comparative black and white illustrations.Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779) was arguably the most talented
French painter of the eighteenth century, best known for his original still
lifes. Composed of simple, everyday objects, these works glow with warmth and
magic, from the dull iron of the kitchen pans, to the glaze of the green
earthenware jug or the shining copper of the cauldron. There is no superfluous
detail or search for decorative effect; the beauty of his paintings lies in
their minimalism.; Chardin received early recognition for his work, becoming a member of the
French Royal Academy in 1728 at the age of only twenty-nine. Following the
success of his early still lifes and inspired no doubt by his Dutch
seventeenth-century predecessors, whose work was very much in vogue in Paris at
the time, Chardin went on to paint some exquisite genre scenes and portraits,
remarkable for their realism and honesty as well as for their technique. His
works had a tremendous influence on subsequent artists, inspiring painters as
diverse as Courbet, Manet and Cezanne.
