Inspiration No. 1
It took me a while to appreciate Chardin (1699-1779). However slowly but surely his depth of colours, his simple yet faultlessly accurate rendering of objects and the pure simplicity of his styles sets him aside from his peers. He is a very old modern artist. I return to Chardin again and again to look at his shapes. Whilst the exuberantly elaborate Rococo was swirling its way across canvas and edifice, Chadin slowly and carefully carved his own niche. I love how he bucked the trend of historical tableau's that were all the rage and ignoring the mild hysteria inherent in such works he created beautiful soulful still life paintings in particular, as well as paintings of domesticity. He always kept his work simple and cosequently they are enduring. The seemingly mundane and the overlooked take on exquisite sheen and are elevated as something to treasure - worthy of a wall space. It is this captivating quality which intrigues and inspires me. He resounds throughout the canon art. Cezanne goes to show how relevant Chardin's work was to a new age. (I also love that he was mostly self-taught. Wow.) Always worth seeing them in the flesh too and a trip to Paris is definitely essential! This one in the Louvre forms gentle curves through the shapes in the apples proving less is more.
And while I must retire to peeling the vegetables I shall aim to do this in a suitably Chardin-esque manner amongst artfully strewn fare ...
before retiring for a (large) glass of wine a from a tumbler aside a hearty chunk of bread. Chardin really is inspirational simplicity.
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