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DE HEEM STILL LIFE
Reviewed by ANDRE BEAUMONT
For anyone wondering how to do still life well, Jan Davidsz de Heem provided a masterclass, all within the pigments and paint technologies available in the 17th century.
The exhibition comprised six de Heem paintings, including two smaller ones belonging to the Fitzwilliam Museum, within whose Dutch School room it was held, and four large paintings that comprised an experiment by de Heem following his move to Antwerp in 1636, where he saw larger format works. These large works have been on loan to the museum for the exhibition and have not been seen together.
Modern paints do not contain the heavy metals and toxic materials he used - this to some extent reduces their vibrancy
Fruit and Rich Dishes on the Table, 1640, The Louvre - the first of his large paintings
Still Life with Servant and Parrots (human figure by T W Bosschaert), 1641, Brussels City Museum
Still Life in a Palatial Setting, 1642, private collection UK
Although architectural features in the paintings are clearly imaginary, the steeple in the distance represents Antwerp cathedral
A Banquet Still Life, 1643, Frederick Iseleman Art Trust
The smaller paintings are significantly smaller but the detail shines:
Flowers in a Glass Vase, c. 1660
