Peter Klas. Still life with a glass of wine and a silver bowl. 1630s

You have received an education, but do you work by profession? Is your first job your last? Are you married to your first love? Do you live in the same city you were born in? In the house you inherited? Do you eat from the same family service as your parents? Do you drink wine from the same old glass?

Modern man will answer all these questions - no. Dutchman of the 17th century - yes. They were not as open to change as we are. They were sedentary, true to their roots, marriage obligations and cause, they hammered at one point. Can you imagine that contemporary artist I kept writing and writing the same topic, the same plot, for years, decades, all my life! A man from the 17th century could. Step into the same river hundreds of times. Achieving amazing results.

Peter Klas. Still life with a skull. 1628

Two famous contemporary, honorary resident of the city of Haarlem, Pieter Klas and Willem Klas Heda, throughout their lives they wrote not only the same still lifes, they wrote ... the same glass of wine! And Khed, moreover, had a son, also an artist, and he, as you may have guessed, was also partial to this glass. Amazing, isn't it? This is some completely different perception of time and the filling of one's own life.

Willem Claesz Heda. 1631

I wonder how they did it? Here is a 30-year-old Klas wrote his glass. Two years pass, he says to himself - why not write me my glass again? And so every few years! The glass is on the right, the glass is on the left, the glass is standing, the glass is lying. A glass in the company of game, in the company of fish. With a pie, with fruit, with a skull... Maybe this is a mental illness common in the 17th century? A kind of obsession. And today humanity has been cured... Or, on the contrary, we are so sick that we cannot seriously focus on anything...

So, the Dutch still life, the adventures of one glass, admire, more beautiful than these discreet, almost monochrome masterpieces, it is difficult to find anything in the history of painting.

Willem Claesz Heda. 1632

Willem Claesz Heda. 1632

Peter Klas. Still life with oysters. 1633

Willem Claesz Heda. 1634

Willem Claesz Heda. 1634

Willem Claesz Heda. 1635

Willem Claesz Heda. 1643

Gerrit Willems Heda (son). 1645

Peter Klas. 1647

Willem Claesz Heda. 1648

Willem Claesz Heda. 1650s

Willem Claesz Heda. 1657

Peter Klas. 1660

Pieter Klass "Breakfast with Ham" 1647

Experts say that each still life carries its own hidden meaning which was understandable to contemporaries. And we can only guess about what and to whom the artist wanted to say.

G Dutch still life of the 17th century is characterized by a narrow specialization Dutch masters within the genre. The theme "Flowers and Fruits" includes, as a rule, a variety of insects. "Hunting trophies" are, first of all, hunting trophies - dead birds and game. "Breakfasts" and "Desserts", as well as images of fish - alive and asleep, various birds - are only a part of the most famous topics still lifes.

In their totality, these individual plots characterize the close interest of the Dutch in the plots Everyday life, and their favorite pastimes, and passion for the exotic of distant lands (there are outlandish shells and fruits in the compositions). Often in works with motives of "living" and "dead" nature, symbolic overtones, easily understandable to an educated spectator of the 17th century.

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

Dutch still lifes attract, first of all, with their artistic expressiveness completeness, the ability to reveal the spiritualized life of the objective world.

Unlike the Flemings, who prefer large-sized paintings with an abundance of all kinds of objects, the Dutch painters limit themselves to a few objects of contemplation, striving for the ultimate compositional and color unity. Still life (“Stilleven” - which means “quiet life” in Dutch) is a peculiar and quite popular branch of Dutch painting.

17th century Dutch still life

Pieter Klass "Pipe and Brazier" 1636

Balthasar van der Ast "Still Life with Fruit"

Balthasar van der Ast "Plate with fruits and shells" 1630

Melchior de Hondekuter "Birds in the Park"

Bartholomeus van der Hels "New Market in Amsterdam" 1666

Willem Klass Hedp "Breakfast with Crab" 1648

Ferdinand Bol "Bad Game"

Abraham Mignon "Fruits"

Melchior de Hondekuter "Hunting Trophies"

Johannes Lemans "Hunting Still Life"

Martin Bullema de Stomme. "Still Life with Nautilus Cup"

Willem Heda. "Still Life with Ham". 1656

Jan Brueghel the Elder. "Flowers in a wooden vase". 1606/07

Ambrosius Bosshart the Elder. "Bouquet of flowers in a niche." 1618

Balthasar van der Ast. "Basket of flowers". 1622

Hans Bollongier. "Flower Still Life". 1639

Nicholas Gillis. "Laid table". 1611

Floris van Dijk. "Still life with cheese". OK. 1615

Jacob van Huelsdonk. Still Life with Artichokes, Radishes, Asparagus, Plums and Peaches in a Basket. 1608-1647

Clara Peters. "Served table". 1611

Willem Claesz Heda. "Still life with a silver jug ​​and a pie." 1645

Peter Klas. "Still life with salt shaker". OK. 1644

Gerrit Willems Heda. "Still life with earthenware jug"

Floris Gerrits van Schoten. Still Life with Fruit, Vegetables and a Supper Scene at Emmaus. 1630

Cornelis Delff. "Kitchen Still Life" 1610-1620

Natalia MARKOVA,
head of the graphics department of the Pushkin Museum im. 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 image scale changed until only objects remained in the frame, and the interior and figures were pushed out of the picture. "Frames" with a still life can be found in many paintings Dutch artists 16th century It is easy to imagine in the form of an independent picture a laid table from " family portrait» Martin van Heemskerk (c. 1530. State Museums, Kassel) or a vase of flowers from a composition by 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 Hemskerk. Family portrait. Fragment. OK. 1530. State Museums, Kassel.

At that moment the O va to define it did not yet exist. 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 “stillleven”, which can be translated both as “still nature, model”, and as “quiet life”, which much more accurately conveys the specifics of the Dutch still life. But this general concept came into use only from 1650, and until that time the paintings were called according to the plot of the image: b lumentopf - a vase of flowers, banketje - a set table, fruytage - fruits, toebackje - still lifes with smoking accessories, doodshoofd - paintings depicting a skull. Already from this enumeration it is clear how great was the variety of depicted objects. Indeed, the whole objective world surrounding them seemed to spill out onto the paintings of Dutch artists.

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

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

Paintings were rarely created to order, but mostly freely sold in the markets for everyone and were intended to decorate rooms in the homes of townspeople, and even rural residents - of those that are richer. Later, in the XVIII and XIX centuries, when life in Holland became more difficult and scarce, these domestic painting collections were widely sold at auctions and willingly acquired in royal and aristocratic collections throughout Europe, from where they eventually migrated to major museums peace. When in mid-nineteenth V. 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 white peacock. 1692. State Hermitage, 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 topics, and different cities had their favorite types of still life, and if the painter happened to move to another city, he often changed his art dramatically and began to paint those varieties of the genre that were popular in this place.

Haarlem became the birthplace of the most characteristic type of Dutch still life - "breakfast". The paintings of Pieter Claesz depict a laid table with dishes and dishes. A pewter plate, a herring or ham, a bun, a glass of wine, a crumpled napkin, a lemon or a branch of grapes, cutlery - a sparing 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 the light-air environment. The dominant gray-brownish tone combines objects into a single picture, while the still life itself becomes a reflection of the individual tastes of a person, his lifestyle.

In the same vein as Klas, another Harleman, Willem Heda, worked. The color of his paintings is even more subordinated to tone 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. XVII century. Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin, Moscow

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

In The Hague, the center of maritime industry, Pieter de Putter and his student Abraham van Beijeren perfected the image of fish and other inhabitants of the sea, the color of their paintings casts a sheen of scales, in which spots of pink, red, blue colors flash. University Leiden created and improved the type of philosophical still life "vanitas" (vanity of vanities). In the paintings of Harmen van Steenwijk and Jan Davidsz de Heem, with objects embodying earthly glory and wealth (armor, books, art attributes, precious utensils) or sensual pleasures (flowers, fruits), the skull or hourglass as a reminder of the transience of life. A more democratic "kitchen" still life originated in Rotterdam in the work 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" is transformed in the works of Willem van Aelst, Urian van Streck and, in particular, 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 elegance and wealth that was established in Dutch society in the middle of the century. Accordingly, “monochrome” breakfasts are being replaced by juicy, colorfully saturated, golden-warm colors. The influence of Rembrandt's chiaroscuro makes the colors in Kalf's paintings glow from within, poetizing the objective world.

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

Masters of the image of "hunting trophies" and "bird yards" were Jan-Baptiste Veniks, his son Jan Veniks and Melchior de Hondekuter. This type of still life became especially widespread in the second half - the end of the century in connection with the aristocratization of the burghers: the arrangement of estates and entertainment by hunting. painting two latest artists shows an increase in decorativeness, color, a desire for external effects.

The amazing ability of Dutch painters to convey material world in all its richness and diversity, it 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 themselves Dutch XVII for centuries, 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 their thoughts to philosophical reflections about the meaning of human life.

An amazing phenomenon in the history of world fine arts took place in Northern Europe XVII century. It is known as the Dutch still life and is considered one of the pinnacles of oil painting.

Connoisseurs and professionals have firm conviction that such a number of magnificent masters who possessed the highest technique and created so many world-class masterpieces, while living on a small patch of the European continent, have never been seen in the history of art.

The new meaning of the artist's profession

The special importance that the profession of an artist has acquired in Holland since early XVII century, was the result of the emergence after the first anti-feudal revolutions of the beginnings of a new bourgeois system, the formation of a class of urban burghers and wealthy peasants. For painters, these were potential customers who shaped the fashion for works of art, making the Dutch still life a sought-after commodity in the emerging market.

IN northern lands In the Netherlands, the reformist trends of Christianity, which arose in the struggle against Catholicism, became the most influential ideology. This circumstance, among others, made the Dutch still life the main genre for entire art workshops. The spiritual leaders of Protestantism, in particular the Calvinists, denied the soul-saving value of sculpture and painting on religious subjects, they even expelled music from the church, which forced painters to look for new subjects.

In neighboring Flanders, which remained under the influence of Catholics, art developed according to other laws, but the territorial proximity caused the inevitable mutual influence. Scholars - art historians - find many things that unite Dutch and Flemish still life, noting their cardinal differences and unique features.

Early flower still life

The "pure" genre of still life, which appeared in the 17th century, in Holland takes special forms and the symbolic name "quiet life" - stilleven. In many ways, the Dutch still life became a reflection violent activity The East India Company, which brought luxury goods from the East that had not been seen before in Europe. From Persia, the company brought the first tulips, which later became the symbol of Holland, and it was the flowers depicted in the paintings that became the most popular decoration for residential buildings, numerous offices, shops and banks.

The purpose of the masterly painted flower arrangements was diverse. Decorating houses and offices, they emphasized the well-being of their owners, and for sellers of flower seedlings, tulip bulbs, they were what is now called a visual advertising product: posters and booklets. Therefore, the Dutch still life with flowers is, first of all, a botanically accurate depiction of flowers and fruits, at the same time filled with many symbols and allegories. These are the best canvases of entire workshops, headed by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Jakob de Hein the Younger, Jan Baptist van Fornenburg, Jacob Wouters Vosmar and others.

Laid tables and breakfasts

Painting in Holland in the 17th century could not escape the influence of new public relations, and economic development. 17th century Dutch still life profitable commodity, and large workshops were organized for the "production" of paintings. In addition to painters, among whom strict specialization and division of labor appeared, those who prepared the basis for paintings - boards or canvas, primed, made frames, etc. worked there. Fierce competition, as in any market relations, led to an increase in the quality of still lifes very high level.

The genre specialization of artists also assumed a geographical character. flower arrangements were written in many Dutch cities - Utrecht, Delft, The Hague, but it was Haarlem that became the center for the development of still lifes depicting served tables, food and ready meals. Such canvases can be varied in scale and character, from complex and multi-subject to concise. "Breakfasts" appeared - still lifes by Dutch artists depicting different stages meals. They depict the presence of a person in the form of crumbs, bitten buns, etc. They told interesting stories filled with allusions and moralizing symbols common to the paintings of that time. Paintings by Nicholas Gillis, Floris Gerrits van Schoten, Clara Peters, Hans Van Essen, Rulof Koots and others are considered especially significant.

Tonal still life. Pieter Claesz and Willem Claesz Heda

For contemporaries, the symbols with which the traditional Dutch still life is saturated were relevant and understandable. The paintings were similar in content to multi-page books and were especially appreciated for this. But there is a concept that is no less impressive for both modern connoisseurs and art lovers. It is called "tonal still life", and the main thing in it is the highest technical skill, surprisingly refined coloring, amazing skill in conveying the subtle nuances of lighting.

These qualities correspond in every possible way to the canvases of two leading masters, whose paintings are considered to be the best examples. tonal still life Story by: Pieter Claesz and Willem Claesz Head. They chose compositions from a small number of objects devoid of bright colors and special decorative effect, which did not prevent them from creating things of amazing beauty and expressiveness, the value of which does not decrease with time.

Vanity

The theme of the transience of life, equality before death of both the king and the beggar, was very popular in the literature and philosophy of that transitional period. And in painting, she found expression in paintings depicting scenes, the main element of which was the skull. This genre was called vanitas - from the Latin "vanity of vanities." The popularity of still lifes, similar to philosophical treatises, was promoted by the development of science and education, the center of which was the university in Leiden, famous throughout Europe.

Vanitas occupies a serious place in the work of many Dutch masters of that time: Jacob de Gein the Younger, David Gein, Harmen Stenwijk and others. most important issues being.

Faux-paintings

Paintings are the most popular decoration of the Dutch interior since late medieval that the growing urban population could afford. To interest buyers, the artists resorted to various tricks. If skill allowed, they created “tricks”, or “trompe-l'oeil”, from the French trompe-l "oeil - an optical illusion. The point was that a typical Dutch still life is flowers and fruits, a broken bird and fish, or objects related to science - books, optical instruments, etc. - contained a complete illusion of reality.A book that has moved out of the space of the picture and is about to fall, a fly that has landed on a vase that you want to slam are typical plots for a fake painting.

The paintings of the leading masters of still life in the style of "tromple" - Gerard Dou, Samuel van Hoogstraten and others - often depict a niche recessed into the wall with shelves on which there are a lot of different things. The artist's technical skill in conveying textures and surfaces, light and shadow was so great that the hand itself reached for a book or a glass.

Bloom time and sunset time

By the middle of the 17th century, the main varieties of still life in the paintings of the Dutch masters reached their peak. The “luxurious” still life is becoming popular, because the wealth of the burghers is growing and rich dishes, precious fabrics and food abundance do not look alien in the interior of a city house or a rich rural estate.

The paintings increase in size, they amaze with the number of different textures. At the same time, the authors are looking for ways to increase entertainment for the viewer. To do this, the traditional Dutch still life - with fruits and flowers, hunting trophies and dishes of various materials - is complemented by exotic insects or small animals and birds. In addition to creating the usual allegorical associations, the artist often introduced them simply for positive emotions, to increase the commercial appeal of the plot.

The masters of the "luxurious still life" - Jan van Huysum, Jan Davids de Heem, Francois Reykhals, Willem Kalf - became the harbingers of the coming time, when increased decorativeness became important, creating an impressive impression.

End of the golden age

Priorities and fashion changed, the influence of religious dogmas on the choice of subjects for painters gradually faded into the past, the very concept of the golden age that dutch painting. Still lifes entered the history of this era as one of the most important and impressive pages.

Dutch still life of the 16th–17th centuries - a peculiar intellectual game, in which the viewer was asked to unravel certain signs. What was easily read by contemporaries today is not clear to everyone and not always.

What do the objects depicted by the artists mean?

Jean Calvin (1509-1564, French theologian, church reformer, founder of Calvinism) taught that everyday things have a hidden meaning, and that there should be a moral lesson behind every image. The objects depicted in the still life are ambiguous: they were endowed with edifying, religious or other overtones. For example, oysters were considered an erotic symbol, and this was obvious to contemporaries: oysters allegedly stimulated sexual potency, and Venus, the goddess of love, was born from a shell. On the one hand, oysters hinted at worldly temptations, on the other hand, an open shell meant a soul ready to leave the body, that is, it promised salvation. Of course, there were no strict rules on how to read a still life, and the viewer guessed exactly those symbols on the canvas that he wanted to see. In addition, we must not forget that each item was part of the composition and could be read in different ways - depending on the context and the overall message of the still life. Flower still life

Until the 18th century, a bouquet of flowers, as a rule, symbolized frailty, because earthly joys are as transient as the beauty of a flower. The symbolism of plants is especially complex and ambiguous, and books of emblems, popular in Europe in the 16th-17th centuries, where allegorical illustrations and mottos were accompanied by explanatory texts, helped to capture the meaning. Floral arrangements were not easy to interpret: the same flower had many meanings, sometimes directly opposite. For example, the narcissus indicated narcissism and at the same time was considered a symbol of the Mother of God. In still lifes, as a rule, both meanings of the image were preserved, and the viewer was free to choose one of the two meanings or combine them.

Flower compositions were often supplemented with fruits, small objects, images of animals. These images expressed the main idea of ​​the work, emphasizing the motif of transience, withering, the sinfulness of everything earthly and the imperishability of virtue.

Jan Davids de Heem.
Flowers in a vase.

In the painting by Jan Davidsz de Heem, at the base of the vase, the artist depicted symbols of frailty: withered and broken flowers, crumbling petals and dried pea pods. Here is a snail - it is associated with the soul of a sinner. In the center of the bouquet we see symbols of modesty and purity: wildflowers, violets and forget-me-nots. They are surrounded by tulips, symbolizing fading beauty and senseless waste (cultivation of tulips was considered one of the most vain occupations in Holland and also not cheap); lush roses and poppies, reminiscent of the fragility of life. The composition is crowned by two large flowers, which have positive value. The blue iris represents the remission of sins and indicates the possibility of salvation through virtue. The red poppy, which was traditionally associated with sleep and death, has changed its interpretation due to its location in the bouquet: here it stands for the atoning sacrifice of Christ.

Other symbols of salvation are spikelets of bread, and a butterfly sitting on a stem represents an immortal soul.

Jan Bauman.
Flowers, fruits and a monkey. First half of the 17th century.

Jan Bauman's painting "Flowers, Fruits and a Monkey" is a good example of the semantic layering and ambiguity of a still life and objects on it. At first glance, the combination of plants and animals seems random. In fact, this still life also reminds of the transience of life and the sinfulness of earthly existence. Each depicted object conveys a certain idea: a snail and a lizard in this case indicate the mortality of everything earthly; a tulip lying near a bowl of fruits symbolizes rapid withering; shells scattered on the table hint at a waste of money; and a monkey with a peach indicates original sin and depravity. On the other hand, a fluttering butterfly and fruits: bunches of grapes, apples, peaches and pears - speak of the immortality of the soul and the atoning sacrifice of Christ. On another, allegorical level, the fruits, fruits, flowers and animals presented in the picture represent the four elements: shells and snails - water; butterfly - air; fruits and flowers - the earth; monkey is fire.

Still life in a butcher's shop

Peter Artsen.
The Butcher's Shop, or The Kitchen with the Flight into Egypt. 1551

The image of a butcher shop has traditionally been associated with the idea physical life, the personification of the elements of the earth, as well as with gluttony. In a painting by Peter Aartsen

almost the entire space is occupied by a table bursting with food. We see many types of meat: killed poultry and butchered carcasses, liver and ham, hams and sausages. These images symbolize immoderation, gluttony and attachment to carnal pleasures. Now let's turn our attention to the background. On the left side of the picture in the window opening is placed the gospel scene of the flight to Egypt, which contrasts sharply with the still life in the foreground. The Virgin Mary hands out the last piece of bread to a poor girl. Note that the window is located above the dish, where two fish lie crosswise (a symbol of the crucifixion) - a symbol of Christianity and Christ. On the right in the depth is a tavern. A cheerful company sits at a table by the fire, drinking and eating oysters, which, as we remember, are associated with lust. A butchered carcass hangs next to the table, indicating the inevitability of death and the transience of earthly joys. A butcher in a red shirt dilutes wine with water. This scene echoes the main idea of ​​the still life and refers to the Parable of prodigal son. The scene in the tavern, as well as the butcher shop full of food, speaks of an idle, dissolute life, attachment to earthly pleasures, pleasant for the body, but destructive for the soul. In the scene of flight to Egypt, the characters are practically turned back to the viewer: they move deeper into the picture, away from the butcher shop. This is a metaphor for an escape from a dissolute life full of sensual joys. Giving them up is one way to save your soul.

Still life in a fish shop

The fish still life is an allegory of the water element. Such works, like butcher shops, were often part of the so-called elemental cycle and, as a rule, were created to decorate palace dining rooms. In the foreground of the painting by Frans Snyders "Fish Shop" a lot of fish are depicted. There are perches and sturgeons, crucian carp, catfish, salmon and other seafood. Some have already been cut, some are waiting for their turn. These images of fish do not carry any subtext - they sing of the wealth of Flanders.

Frans Snyders.
Fish shop. 1616

Next to the boy, we see a basket with gifts that he received for St. Nicholas Day. This is indicated by wooden red shoes tied to the basket. In addition to sweets, fruits and nuts, there are rods in the basket - as a hint of upbringing with "carrot and stick". The content of the basket speaks of the joys and sorrows of human life, which constantly replace each other. The woman explains to the child that obedient children receive gifts, while bad children receive punishment. The boy recoiled in horror: he thought that instead of sweets he would receive blows with rods. On the right we see a window opening in which you can see town square. A group of children stand under the windows and joyfully greet the puppet jester on the balcony. The jester is an essential attribute of folk festivities.

Still life with a set table

In the numerous variations of table setting on the canvases of Dutch masters, we see bread and pies, nuts and lemons, sausages and hams, lobsters and crayfish, dishes with oysters, fish or empty shells. You can understand these still lifes depending on the set of objects.

Gerrit Willems Heda.
Ham and silverware. 1649

In the painting by Gerrit Willems Heda, we see a dish, a jug, a tall glass goblet and an overturned vase, a mustard pot, a ham, a crumpled napkin and a lemon. This is Kheda's traditional and favorite set. The location of the objects and their choice are not accidental. Silver utensils symbolize earthly riches and their futility, ham - carnal pleasures, attractive in appearance and sour inside lemon represents betrayal. An extinguished candle indicates frailty and transience. human existence, mess on the table - to destruction. A tall glass “flute” glass (in the 17th century such glasses were used as a measuring container with marks) is fragile, like human life, and at the same time symbolizes moderation and a person's ability to control his impulses. In general, in this still life, as in many other "breakfasts", with the help of objects, the theme of the vanity of vanities and the meaninglessness of earthly pleasures is played up.

Peter Klas.
Still life with brazier, herring, oysters and smoking pipe. 1624

Most of the objects depicted in Pieter Claesz's still life are erotic symbols. Oysters, pipe, wine refer to short and dubious carnal pleasures. But this is just one version of reading a still life. Let's look at these images from a different angle. So, shells are symbols of the frailty of the flesh; a pipe with which they not only smoked, but also blew bubble, - a symbol of the suddenness of death. Claes's contemporary, the Dutch poet Willem Godschalk van Vockenborch, in the poem "My hope is smoke" wrote:

As you can see, being is akin to smoking a pipe,
And what is the difference - I really do not know:
One is just a breeze, the other is just smoke.

The theme of the transience of human existence is opposed to the immortality of the soul, and the signs of frailty suddenly turn out to be symbols of salvation. The bread and glass of wine in the background are associated with the body and blood of Jesus and indicate the sacrament of the sacrament. Herring - another symbol of Christ - reminds of fasting and lean food. And open shells with oysters can change their negative meaning to the exact opposite, denoting human soul separated from the body and ready to enter into eternal life.

Different levels of interpretation of objects unobtrusively tell the viewer that a person is always free to choose between the spiritual and the eternal and the earthly transient.

Vanitas, or "Scientist" still life

The genre of the so-called "learned" still life was called vanitas - in Latin it means "vanity of vanities", in other words - "memento mori" ("remember death"). This is the most intellectual type of still life, an allegory of the eternity of art, the frailty of earthly glory and human life.

Jurian van Streck.
Vanity. 1670

The sword and helmet with a luxurious plume in the painting by Jurian van Streck indicate the transience of earthly glory. The hunting horn symbolizes wealth that cannot be taken with you to another life. In "scholarly" still lifes, there are often images of open books or carelessly lying papers with inscriptions. They not only invite you to think about the objects depicted, but also allow you to use them for their intended purpose: read open pages or perform what is written in music notebook music. Van Streck sketched a boy's head and open book: This is the tragedy of Sophocles "Electra", translated into Dutch. These images indicate that art is eternal. But the pages of the book are folded, and the drawing is dented. These are signs of the beginning of damage, hinting that even art will not be useful after death. The skull also speaks of the inevitability of death, but the ear of bread wrapping around it symbolizes the hope for the resurrection and eternal life. By the middle of the 17th century, a skull entwined with an ear of bread or evergreen ivy would become an obligatory subject for depiction in still lifes in the vanitas style.