Dutch still life food. An appreciation okay admit it. Lets recreate a lavish spread of fine cheeses pretzels and the trappings of the good life on display in 17th century dutch and flemish still life paintings. I know i do.
Still life as a particular genre began with netherlandish painting of the 16th and 17th centuries and the english term still life derives from the dutch word stilleven. Dutch golden age painting is the painting of the dutch golden age a period in dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century during and after the later part of the eighty years war 15681648 for dutch independence. Early still life paintings particularly before 1700 often contained religious and allegorical symbolism relating to the objects depicted.
Admirable though they might be in technique there seems so little there to grab us the above example is by althasar van der ast. On one side the generally somber scenes are read symbolically through the lens of. The new dutch republic was the most prosperous nation in europe and led european trade science and art.
No figures to relate to no narrative no drama. Later in the course of art history still life painting emerged more or less simultaneously in italy northern europe and spain in the sixteenth century while the dutch still life painting became the most lavish most sought after type. Since then critics have generally belonged to two opposing schools of thought when it comes to interpreting them.