Still Life - Rediscovering the Masterpieces of Baroque Painting
Still life paintings have fascinated us for centuries: intricate arrangements of exotic fruits, magnificent bouquets, exquisite musical instruments, or thought-provoking vanitas symbols-each composition tells a story of wealth, transience, and sensual beauty. This richly illustrated book takes readers on a journey through the remarkable collection of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, offering a vivid history of this captivating genre. Featuring around 70 masterpieces from the Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish painting, the book deciphers the hidden messages and symbolic meanings behind these works and explains them in an illustrated glossary.
- A long-overdue iconography of still life painting: The hidden meanings behind these intricate compositions are revealed in depth for the first time.
- Unique masterpieces of still life art: Featuring works by Frans Snijders, Adriaen van Utrecht, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Abraham Mignon, Rachel Ruysch, Gerard Dou, and other great masters of the 17th century.
- Fascinating details and symbolism: Special focus on encrypted messages, allegories, and iconographic motifs.
- An outstanding collection: The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden houses some of the most significant Baroque still lifes.
- For art lovers and collectors: A must-have for anyone passionate about Dutch and Flemish painting, symbolism in art, and the visual world of the Baroque era.
An essential book for art historians, collectors, and anyone who appreciates the beauty and meaning of still life painting!
They fascinate us today as they did 500 years ago: elaborate compositions of exotic fruits or platters with oysters, foral arrangements and skulls, exquisitely decorated musical instruments and scientific instruments. Magical things testify to exuberant wealth and hedonism as well as to the enlightened curiosity and religious fervor of the Baroque era. This lavishly illustrated book that even features a pictorial glossary sets the stage for the internationally renowned collection of still lifes housed in Dresden's Gemäldegalerie (Picture Gallery). Focusing on the dazzling masterpieces of Dutch and Flemish painting, this book examines the genre in all its diverse facets. What meaning, what content, and what function did still lifes have, what allegories and symbols are concealed in their coded messages? How did the artists take the game of optical illusion to extremes? More than 70 still lifes from the Dresden collection by painters such as Cornelis de Heem, Abraham Mignon, Rachel Ruysch, and Frans Snyders provide a unique insight into the golden age of this magical genre.
