Jacques Linard (1597 - 1645)

STILL LIFE WITH PLUMS
Signed lower right I. Linard
Jacques Linard (Troyes 1597 – 1645 Paris)

Oil on prepared panel

“Warm colors distinguish Linard from his contemporaries; the tones are vibrant, coppery, full of a discreet, intimate light and yet with a certain sensuality (...) in the foreground, the pulpy flesh of an open fig. The summer fruits, which the painter painted repeatedly, reach such maturity that their skin splits.”

“It seems certain that the painter worked slowly, with extreme care and a love of fruit that led him to render its lumpy, smooth, or velvety appearance, as the case may be, with infinite care and great pictorial finesse.”

"Linard penetrates the texture of flowers and the pulp of fruit, not with the somewhat cold analytical acuity of the Flemish painters of the 15th century, nor with the exuberance of the bon vivants of 17th-century Holland, nor with the purely intellectual and abstract vision of Baugin or Zurbaran. Instead, he uses a highly personal approach that combines the three previous styles while moderating them. Linard achieves a balanced intimacy, with great pictorial finesse."
Jean-François Revel

Museums exhibiting works by J. Linard:
Louvre Museum
Strasbourg Museum of Fine Arts
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

Provenance: Louis Grandchamp des Raux Collection
Curt Benedict-Paris Collection