Chardin and the Still Life

Chardin became known as the supreme master of the still life in eighteenth-century France. The program begins by discussing the hierarchy of genres in the eighteenth century, among which the still life was the lowest category. Examples are shown of paintings by earlier French and Dutch still-life painters, by whom Chardin was influenced. Then Chardin's own methods are discussed, his subtle use of light, shade and color, and his loose application of paint to create vivid textures. The quiet sentiments of Chardin's paintings are contrasted with the highly emotional style coming into fashion in the late eighteenth century. The program is punctuated throughout by quotations from the Salons of Diderot, who was one of the first critics to admire Chardin.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.