71 - Spanish or Italian school; XVII century.

Spanish or Italian school; XVII century. "Still life". Oil on canvas. Relined. Measurements: 82 x 102 cm; 97 x 117 cm (frame). In this canvas the author offers us a typical still life of the naturalistic baroque, deeply influenced by Caravaggio and his followers. It is an opulent composition, but still clear and balanced, with the objects in the foreground on a table whose top is arranged parallel to the lower margin of the painting in a way that seems to merge with the background of the scene. Some elements protrude from the table, creating a typically baroque illusionistic effect, which is emphasized by the amount of fruit that the artist sets in the upper area of the scene. Still life or still life occupied the lowest rung in the hierarchy of genres in the history of art, but it became increasingly popular among buyers. In addition to the independent subject of still life, it addressed other types of painting themes by using prominent, usually symbolic, elements and images that drew on a multitude of elements of nature apparently to reproduce a part of life. The term appeared as early as the end of the 16th century. Highly appreciated within the antiquarian market, as well as among collectors and art historians, the still life school enjoyed a spectacular development.