Willem
Kalf

One of the masters of Dutch still life of XVII century It was a highly educated man, according to contemporaries, was engaged in the appraisal and sale of art treasures. His knowledge and fine taste gave written still life special refinement and gentility that distinguished his work from the works of other masters. Calf worked in France (1642-1646), was in Italy, and in 1653 continuously resided in Amsterdam. Several works by the artist presented poor kitchen interiors, backyard farm houses. These works are characterized by a sketchy brushwork. Opposite in painting style can be called fulfilled by Calfa, luxurious still - lifes "desserts" in which the harmony in the selection of subjects combined with their delicacy, and the letter is different from the virtuosity in the transfer of volumes, shapes and textures of the materials. Influenced by the work of Rembrandt Calf preferred deep Golden-red tones, a dark background, which in a soft warm light especially impressive are depicted for subjects

One of the greatest masters of still life. Studied with H. Pot may have F. Reynals. Lived in Paris (1642-1646) and may not last long in Italy. In 1646 he returned home, 1653 worked without a break in Amsterdam; painted landscapes, food, trophies, breakfasts. Flourished kalfa begins with the mid-1650's, when finally formed a noble and elegant artistic style of his luxurious still lifes such as "desserts" with precious utensils and southern fruits. Under the influence of Rembrandt, the artist turned to painting, a deep rich Golden-red tones to the dark background against which the movement of warm light effectively are the volumes of objects with their brilliantly transferred forms and material texture. Typically the corner of the marble table covered with a beautiful Persian carpet and filled with objects, which the artist is repeatedly asked: dear Chinese porcelain (bowl of the Ming dynasty), blue-and-white delftware porcelain, silver tableware, Venetian glass (glass in the shape of a flower catchment), delicate rosy peaches, lemon with a delicate curl cut peel and reigning in the composition of the Cup from a huge mother-of-pearl Nautilus shell. The calf was rather solemn portrait format, which allowed him to build up of close-set subjects complete a pyramidal group with a whimsical and smooth silhouette. Comparison of pure and sonorous cold colors and warm colors, filled with inner fire, discovers a rare gift kalfa-colorist, touching in its mastery and Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Kalfa ability to feel the beauty and nature of things, pick up items on the basis of artistic value contributed to the fact that he was an educated man, endowed with impeccable taste. According to contemporaries, the Calf was engaged in the examination and sale of works of art. Dominant in his work the theme of the beautiful, luxurious and at the same time strictly organized still life, accompanied for much of the period from 1644 1670 on the image they poor kitchen interiors and margins of the peasant houses (Kitchen, Gothenburg Art gallery; a corner of the kitchen, the Yard of a peasant house, both of St. Petersburg, GOS. The Hermitage), constituted by the principle of random and chaotic compositions, the selection of simple and everyday objects and conceptual manner of writing the complete opposite of the refined "desserts". In the legacy of kalfa his few modest "kitchen" minor and little-known, but their creation expands the idea about the peculiarities of his work, characterized by unexpected dualistic tendencies.