The Art of Still Life
For centuries, artists in every mode have drawn inspiration from their lunch. From the Renaissance era still-life of a banquet table to Andy Warhol’s famous Campbell’s soup cans, food has long been a focus of painters and designers. Dovetail’s personal girl-crush is “Queen of the Still Life” Clara Peeters, a Flemish still-life painter who lived in the 17th century. Her work primarily featured food and table settings, and she is considered one of the pioneers of still-life food painting in the Dutch Golden Age.
Despite the fact that she was a woman in a male-dominated field, Peeters was able to establish a successful career as a painter, creating intricate and realistic still-life compositions that often included luxurious objects such as glassware, silverware, and exotic foodstuffs. Short story : she was one of the few women of her generation who became a professional artist – and because of her interest in food.
Peeters' still life paintings are notable for their attention to detail and the way in which she was able to capture the textures and surfaces of various objects, particularly food. Her paintings are not just beautiful works of art, but also offer a glimpse into the culture and cuisine of the time in which she lived. Her paintings often include exotic foodstuffs that were brought to Antwerp from distant lands, such as pineapples, oysters, and lobsters, which would have been a rare and expensive luxury for most people. At the time of The Dutch Golden Age, the ports were flooded with exotic luxuries from around the globe, including fruits from the Mediterranean, tobacco from the New World, precious gems and spices from India, and tea, silk, and porcelain from China and Japan. The country's colonies in Brazil and Guyana also supplied sugar.
It's worth mentioning that Peeters had a bit of a thing for lobsters. Seriously, they show up in so many of her paintings. Lobster on a plate? Check. Lobster in a basket? Check. Lobster with some fruit and vegetables? Check and check. It's unclear why Peeters was so fond of lobsters, but they certainly add a bit of whimsy to her work.
Another thing to note about Peeters is that she often included a small self-portrait in her paintings. It's not always obvious at first glance, but if you look closely you can usually spot her reflection in a shiny metal object or the glass of a wine glass. It's a fun little detail that adds a personal touch to her work.
While Peeters' paintings are certainly beautiful, they're also a bit odd. For example, in one painting she depicts a pile of fruit and vegetables with a large dead bird in the center of it. In another, she shows a table setting with a giant pie that's so big it looks like it could swallow up the entire room. It's this quirky and unexpected quality that makes Peeters' work so interesting. Her work is definitely worth a closer look, if only for the delightfully strange details that abound.
Fast forward to the 21st Century and she is still inspiring us. Take Einat Arif-Galanti, an Israeli photographer and artist who fell enamored with the works and recreated the work in photo format. “I would be so happy to sit with her over coffee and cake and hear about her compositions, her palette of colors, and what it was like to be a woman in a world like that.”
Or Irit Biran, a potter, who recently hosted a dinner party to pay tribute to Clara Peeters by creating custom-made bowls, plates, and salt cellars that were inspired by utensils in Peeters’ paintings. The lavish feast was spread out on a long refectory table, featuring an array of baked goods and other delicacies that looked like they had come straight out of Peeters’ paintings. The spread included delectable chunks of Gouda and other Dutch cheeses, rich yellow butter, crusty loaves of white bread, succulent roasted poultry, artichokes roasted to perfection (which Peeters was known to enjoy and often painted), and an assortment of dried fruits and exquisite apple and pear tarts.
Clara is still making us hungry with her work. And today, she's inspiring a whole new generation of women artists to pursue their passions and express themselves through their art. So, let's raise a glass (of wine, of course) to Clara Peeters, and all the other artists who inspire us to see the beauty in the world around us - whether it's on a canvas or a plate.
Ceramic dishes by Irit Biran, arranged as a still life inspired by Clara Peeters. Credit: Dan Perez