The artist was a pioneer in the genre of the still life and one of the few women active as a professional painter in early modern Europe.

Transcription

1 The artist was a pioneer in the genre of the still life and one of the few women active as a professional painter in early modern Europe MADRID Having previously been seen in Antwerp, the Museo del Prado is now showing the The Art of Clara Peeters ( until 19 February 2017 in Room D ), an exhibition on this female painter who formed part of the first generation of European artists to specialise in still-life painting and was among the very few women to devote her professional activities to painting in early modern Europe, announced museodelpradoe s The presence at the Prado of this group of 15 major works by Clara Peeters ( ?) 1 / 6

2 will emphasise the achievements of this highly gifted and exquisite artist, whose known surviving oeuvre numbers barely 40 paintings Both the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue reflect the most recent scholarship on the artist s life and work, locating Clara Peeters in the cultural and artistic context of Antwerp and also drawing attention to the situation of women artists on the threshold of the modern era when their opportunities were hindered by widespread prejudices The exhibition Clara Peeters devoted her activities to still-life painting, deploying a style that emphasised the real appearance of things These two factors reflect firstly an entrepreneurial spirit and forward-looking mentality, given that when the artist first began to work in this genre in the first decade of the 17th century only a few works of this type were to be found in collections in the Southern Netherlands Secondly, realism was seen as an alternative to the idealism of the Renaissance tradition The still lifes in the exhibition, painted between 1611 and 1612, come from private collections (six) ; northern European museums (three) ; 2 / 6

3 the UK (one) ; the USA (one) ; and the Prado itself (four) These fifteen paintings depict fish and fowl ready to be cooked; already cooked food displayed on the table; and serving vessels, cutlery and other objects, most of them costly, luxury items and all painted with painstaking detail in the description of the forms and textures, using an elegant contrast between brightly lit objects and dark backgrounds which contributes to creating an overall sensation of sobriety These paintings by Peeters reveal the tastes and habits of the most prosperous classes at the outset of the modern age and include imported goods and foodstuffs such as sweetmeats, wine, fruit and fish ( Peeters was the first artist to make the latter the principal subject of some of her still lifes), as in Still life with fish, candle, artichokes, crabs and prawns ; hawks or falcons next to dead fowl (representing the first still lifes on the subject of the hunt, an activity associated with the aristocracy), as we see in Still life with peregrine falcon and its prey ; and shells, which were highly prized for their exotic origins and unique beauty, as in Still life with pastry, silver tazza with sweetmeats, porcelain, shells and oysters 3 / 6

4 Peeters paintings include numerous other types of objects that can be associated with wealth, good taste, education and culture such as pieces of porcelain, silver-gilt goblets and cups, blown glass objects and silver salt cellars Another element that the artist often included in her still lifes was her own self-portrait reflected on the surface of vases and goblets These almost invisible details are to be found in at least eight of her works, of which six are in the present exhibition In Still life with flowers, a silver-gilt goblet, almonds, driedfruit, sweetmeats, bread sticks, wine and a pewter jug Peeters is reflected on the silver-gilt goblet and the pewter jug, wearing a headdress, ruff and high dress with raised shoulders Other examples, including Still life with fish, candle, artichokes, crabs and prawns, Still life with herring, cherries, artichoke, jug and porcelain plate with butter, Still life with cheeses, almonds and bread rolls, and Still life with cheeses, prawns and river crabs include just the artist s head reflected on the lids of the jugs On the surface of the goblet on the right in Still life with flowers, gilt goblets, coins and shells we see at least six self-portraits of Peeters, holding her brushes and palette and upholding her status as a woman painter, encouraging the viewer to acknowledge her existence These self-portraits also reveal the level of Peeters artistic skills in her ability to depict herself on such a minute scale The Art of Clara Peeters is an exhibition co-organised with the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp in collaboration with the Government of Flanders and sponsored by Fundacion AXA 4 / 6

5 Curator: del * Clara The important Jan ( ), Rubens ( ), Frans ( ) PradoAlejandro and * * Peeters Vergara, Sir scarcity Brueghel source of the documentary of Elder information references Chief on this Curator artist, Clara of a contemporary Flemish Peeters and makes Northern of paintings School ( ) Anthonis Snyders and van thus Dyck active during one of great periods the history of European Painting, a particularly art Museo early worked addition, that banquets, may Clara were whether The Amsterdam working other of studio painters works they fact refer modern painted hand, Peeters she that assistance to Antwerp were a least differences and her highly guild continued Peeters age prepared was 1607 used name own Madrid, six to professional although a born Antwerp devote marriage, as and pioneer works and the to between there wedding suggests around paint 1608 panels a hallmark were she Finally, after which manner activities She may the gifts is that widely field described 1621 manner was have is of on she The not and of the to most distributed, Eleven used aimed travelled the presence painting documented city exporting of blades still active painting for of a of to document life Antwerp her to achieve A being of around her Holland number three paintings these known paintings one present These financial of as works of the While a have the accounts painter silver knives, through suggest few profit are collections she marks Peeters but knives dated women from is which from indicate dealers it not that on is there and name registered to them not artists diners she be Rotterdam, that known the activities, On In made seen indicating on earliest took she them use to * Women While number Nonetheless, male, Catharina Flanders father that For artist, ( ) ( ) fee Artemisia early * * ), area customs artists them factors and in were the law such able 17th did as to not century Several Lavinia portraits but Sofonisba allowed modern given models Clara received and Gentileschi van that her and Eugenia Her age one who Hemessen Anguissola she jewels her artistic of posed Daughter train the was daughter and (1593 at earliest skills a nude home lady-in-waiting (1527/ ) clothes (ca ) of overcome - led favour ca1654) problem Jan Most to Europe famous commissions activity Sanders women's of the was her of to was existing forbidden it studying known one a was inclusion van whole the of restrictions Hemessen earliest works portraits anatomical Born social most women in are professional woman in status celebrated for Antwerp, portraits and (c1500 limited drawing which that artist become their she it activities, - allowed Isabel women documented c1566) from was Orazio was painters output the live, de her painters never Gentileschi was a fact Valois normally to small to still a that be paid painter of an lifes ( ), Fede (c1574 other Fontana output she 16th- was and born her 17th-century father in Rome instructed women 1593 her She painters painted other were pictorial still the lifes daughters genres but this is of a painters, lesser known including her Isabel ( ), Levinia (1510/ ) Elena Galizia Recco Sanchez - Teerlinc c1630), Coello and the a ( 5 / 6

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