This tray was created on the occasion of the exhibition "Things. A History of Still Life" at the musée du Louvre from 12 October 2022 to 23 January 2023.
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716-1780)
Still life with watermelons and apples in a landscape, 1771
Oil on canvas. H. 62; l. 84 cm
Madrid, Museo nacional ...
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This tray was created on the occasion of the exhibition "Things. A History of Still Life" at the musée du Louvre from 12 October 2022 to 23 January 2023.
Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716-1780)
Still life with watermelons and apples in a landscape, 1771
Oil on canvas. H. 62; l. 84 cm
Madrid, Museo nacional de Prado
© Photographic Archive Madrid, Museo nacional de Prado
© Rmn - Grand Palais, Paris 2022
The fruit in the foreground is projected with unrivaled expressive force-a superb rendering of its attractive freshness. The works sober composition is executed in a manner that brings out its author's virtuosity: solid drawing, rich colors and a perfectionist realism that extends to even the smallest details. The arrangement of these splendid fruits is orderly and clear, eschewing a facile decorativeness in favor of a concretion heightened by the fine contrast of light and shadows. Though generally fond of neutral backgrounds, Meléndez opts for a summary landscape in this work, making it a rare and original image that recalls the landscapes in his illustrations of the beautiful pages of the Royal Chapel's choir books.
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