Römer still life i- French school of the 18th century n the taste of François Vispré

"The silent life" term used by the English and the Germans to describe what we call "still life" which is in fact only the translation of the magic of a highly symbolic painting. On a table covered with a green cloth are painted a half-full römer surrounded by a pewter bowl filled with strawberries and a plate on which rests a lemon with its leaves and half a lemon cut in the middle. In the background: a wicker basket filled with cherries, a loaf of bread and a pitcher, and on the left side, one side is laid diagonally. This painting incorporates all the codes of 17th century still lifes. It evokes through the objects and fruits represented the imprint of time on life: the römer is half filled, one of the two lemons is cut in two and the one that is whole represents the bitterness of existence; fragility with cherries and strawberries, fruits with a very limited shelf life. Two objects are there to give depth to the composition: the knife diagonally and the pewter dish in the foreground coming out of the table. The genre of still life is very old since it has been mentioned since the Hellenistic period, the term itself appears in the 17th century and mainly in the schools of the North and becomes a genre in its own right, whereas previously it was only a detail of a much larger composition, whether religious or secular. This allegory which invites reflection highlights the pleasure of the senses, but also the fragility of human existence: the life of the spirit is superior to earthly pleasures, it reminds man that it is in vain to s 'attach to pleasures, power and wealth since men are equal in the face of death. The organization of objects within the still life shows the deep relationship and balance linked to life and death. Established in a very limited depth, it forces the viewer to turn to himself, with an attention that he certainly would not have in everyday life. The background seems most of the time non-existent and yet it is often heavy with meaning: it could well be the nothingness that takes everything. The tradition of still life continues in the 18th century with major painters like Chardin, in the 19th century with Delacroix, in the 20th century with Cézanne or Juan Gris, through this ever-renewed genre, man asks himself the eternal question of his position in the universe.
66 x 90 cm with the frame