Carstian Luyckx Still Life

The work “Basket of Grapes” by Claude Monet and “Still Life” by Carstian Luyckx are paintings of the still life genre. Carstian Luyckx painted a work of grandeur that makes the viewer feel the wealth, status, and power of the scene. Claude Monet, on the contrary, seemingly disregards human symbols inherent in the subject to glorify the interactions of the subject and light, translating this immaterial beauty through the artist. Both are celebratory in nature, but the subject of what they celebrate diverges. Through light and color, perspective and composition, and subject and style the artists highlight different aspects of the gravitas of materiality. Upon first viewing of “Still Life” by Carstian Luyckx, the monumentality of the work nearly

When read left to right, each object in “Still Life” seems more impressive than the last. The peaches on the left are going bad, a sign the owner had excess enough to let some spoil without fret. This is followed by simple grapes, crisp and leafy, then a delicately prepared pie already nibbled on, then a vibrant lobster spilling out of a visual cornucopia. After titillating the viewer with a mixture of food at its finest and last leg, Luyckx shows further signs of gaiety in instruments and music, loosely arranged with sheet music slipping off the table. Everything in “Still Life” looms still and final, including the lone butterfly who drifted in through the window. It seems to be suspended in the air, just another form of decoration like the flowers staged on an ornate tray. Even the fabrics on which the display of wealthy excess rests have a finesse with satin finishes, detailed embroidery, and lack all signs of wear. Meanwhile, Claude Monet’s “Basket of Grapes” could not be more simple and unassuming. The small painting would fit right in as a simple decoration in someone’s kitchen compared to the large, looming size of

The strong horizontal of the table gives depth to the objects spilling over into the foreground. The plain, dark space of the background doesn’t distract from the main focus of the spread which contains further strong verticals in the gauntlets and wine glasses. The diagonals leading backward in the window and curtain allow the room to have space and depth. The background in “Basket of Grapes” is presumably a table, but lacks any real distinction, continuing past the picture plane in all directions. The texture of the surface matches the short, defined brushstrokes of the rest of the painting. This consistent texture flattens the work, as though what is not immediately perceptible to the artist in two dimensions does not continue into a third. Monet does not emphasis distract from the interactions of light and artist by forcing a restrictive perspective, but rather he perpetuates the interaction through loose shadows defined by color. Monet clearly finds beauty in perception and translation, not in mere replication. Luyckx, however, finds beauty in the gravity of spacious, man-made interiors and the wealth cultivated within them. Overall, the paint is dematerialized in the work, but the presence of the artist and visible brushwork can be seen more prevalently when depicted manmade creations. The gauntlets and glasses show visible brushwork as though reminding the audience they were made by