Willem kalf biography of william shakespeare

Still-Life

The rise of still-life in Northern Europe (primarily centred in Antwerp, Leiden, Middelburg, Haarlem and Leiden) was prompted by the establishment of a growing middle class, who increasingly had money to spend on items such as oil painting. While flower painting became associated with Antwerp and The Hague (Jan Brueghel the Elder , being a main proponent), monochrome banquet still lifes became the speciality of Leiden artists like David Bailly () and Jan Davidsz de Heem.

Amsterdam meantime, was becoming a city packed with wealthy merchants, and those merchants wanted ostentatious displays of their wealth. Kalf and van Beyeren became the most important practitioners in the luxurious painting market, producing highly realistic Pronkstilleven (display) still-lifes.

Willem kalf biography of william shakespeare in 400 words Parallel Lives. Life [ edit ]. Cornelia was an accomplished calligrapher and poet, acquainted with Constantijn Huygens, secretary to three stadtholders of the young Dutch Republic, a renowned poet, and arguably the most experienced connoisseur of international theater and music in his time. Published in , the Sonnets were the last of Shakespeare's non-dramatic works to be printed.

They painted still lifes with imported exotic fruit, expensive Turkish carpets, Chinese porcelain and silver and gold vessels, depicted in a glistening, velvety atmosphere. Two examples by Kalf include: Still-Life (, The Hermitage, St Petersburg) and Still-Life with an Aquamanile, Fruit and a Nautilus Cup (, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid).

His use of colour has echoes of Rembrandt's chiaroscuro technique and Jan Vermeer's colour scales and Pointille technique. Pointille is a decorative technique whereby patterns are formed on the surface of paint by means of punched dots.

Biography of arthur conan doyle Indeed, it is the French painters Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Jean Chardin who are considered to be the 18th century heirs of the Dutch still-life tradition. The Age of Shakespeare. Willem Kalff, who was friends with P. Other authors argue that there is a lack of evidence about Shakespeare's religious beliefs.

It is similar to engraving or embossing, but is manually carried out and does not cut into the surface, rather just dents it. Originally Pointille was used to decorate arms, then fine art painters started using it to render metal and fruit surfaces more realistically.

Fine Art Dealer

Kalf became financially successful in his lifetime becoming one of the most sought after exponents of still life and Dutch Realist genre painting.

He established a large studio, and when a particular painting composition became popular, it would be copied and reproduced numerous times by his pupils.

Willem kalf biography of william shakespeare Anne Hathaway and ascendants are shown with a yellow background. Contact About Privacy. The Problem Plays of Shakespeare. Shakespeare combined the two throughout his career, with Romeo and Juliet perhaps the best example of the mixing of the styles.

After the s he appears to have set his paint brush aside, in order to focus on buying and selling artworks. He died in Amsterdam in

NOTE: For the leading exponents of the vanitas genre known as "breakfast pieces" (ontbijt or ontbijtjes), which criticized human gluttony and sensual indulgence, see: Willem Claesz Heda () and Pieter Claesz ().

Legacy

By the 18th century, the Dutch Golden Age of painting was over and Dutch still-lifes could hardly be distinguished from similar works by Flemish, German and French artists.

Indeed, it is the French painters Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Jean Chardin who are considered to be the 18th century heirs of the Dutch still-life tradition. By the 19th century Kalf's pictures were largely forgotten, but when many were restored in the 20th century, his skill was compared favourably to Vermeer and Rembrandt and he became recognized as one of the best still life painters of his age.

It's worth remembering that still-life was traditional considered the poor relation of genres like portraiture or history painting, because - supposedly - still life could not be infused with any deep moral or ethical message. However, not only did Kalf (and others) succeed in imbuing their still lifes with considerable morality, but his devotion to the genre showed that beauty alone could suffice - a lesson which would become one of the foundations of modern art.

Still life paintings by Willem Kalf can be seen in many of the best art museums throughout Europe.