Work Joris van Son

1 work

1.1 general
1.2 garland paintings
1.3 vanitas still lifes
1.4 pronkstillevens

work
general

van son specialist still life painter. practised many of sub-genres of still life such fruit still lifes, flower pieces, banquet still lifes, vanitas still lifes, garland paintings , pronkstillevens, i.e. sumptuous still lifes of luxurious objects. known have painted fish still lifes representing 4 elements. these showed fish lying on beach in front of ocean. painter jan van kessel elder later produced similar works. chronology of work not easy establish did not date many of paintings.

van son’s still lifes include fruit, of varieties not native imported. still lifes animated branches of cherries or raspberries, endow composition great lightness. objects distributed on table or ledge @ level intimacy viewer created.

garland of fruit , flowers death of adonis


garland paintings

another important portion of van son s output falls category of garland paintings . garland paintings type of still life invented in 17th century antwerp jan brueghel elder , subsequently practised leading flemish still life painters, , in particular daniel seghers. paintings in genre typically show flower or, less frequently, fruit garland around devotional image or portrait. in later development of genre, devotional image replaced other subjects such portraits, mythological subjects , allegorical scenes.

garland paintings collaborations between still life , figure painter. not of van son s collaborators on garland paintings have been identified known have included erasmus quellinus ii, pieter boel, frans wouters , jan den duyts. collaborators painted figure or figures inside cartouche while van son painted fruit , flower garland. garland of fruit , flowers death of adonis example of collaboration erasmus quellinus. central images in garland paintings devotional secular.

van son painted garland paintings garlands of flowers , of fruits , combination of 2 upper part being made of flowers , lower part of fruit or vice versa. fruits , flowers in these compositions bunched in groups attached sculptural frames. flower garlands reveal influence of daniel seghers, although conceptually work closer of jan davidsz de heem presumed art historians have been master. light in van son s work softer in de heem s work. van son particularly skilled in rendering of physical qualities of skin of fruits, evident in hairiness of peaches in compositions. example of devotional garland painting virgin child inside festoon of fruit (prado museum).

vanitas still lifes

van son known vanitas still lifes, genre of still lifes offers reflection on meaninglessness of earthly life , transient nature of earthly goods , pursuits.

a vanitas still-life

vanitas still lifes of van son listed first time in 1666 in antwerp. of garland paintings vanitas paintings. example case composition allegory of human life (at walters art museum). composition contains typical symbols present in vanitas paintings: skull, burning candle , hourglass. flowers in high bloom , butterflies refer fleetingness of things. garland painting vanitas motif 3 putti vanitas symbols within decorated cartouche (at lempertz on 15 november 2014, cologne, lot 1072) typical symbols of vanitas appear: skull, soap bubbles , opulently glittering vases reference transience of things and, in particular, of earthly wealth.

a pure vanitas painting vanitas still-life skull, pistol, lute broken strings, flute (at christie s on 10 december 2004, london lot 59), in wide range of vanitas symbols displayed on table. on lower right of painting inscribed words vanitas, vanitas. et omnia vanitas , refers famous line of ecclesiastes, in latin version of bible called vulgate 1:2; 12:8 rendered vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas. in king james version translated vanity of vanities, vanity .

pronkstillevens

still life crabs, fruit , partly peeled lemon, glasses behind

a large portion of output consists of pronkstillevens, sumptuous still lifes popular in flanders , dutch republic 1640s. van son s work in genre influenced jan davidsz. de heem. representative example in genre pronk still life overturned silver ewer (liechtenstein museum). pronk still lifes interpreted having vanitas meaning.

from late 1650s van son painted number of more modest still lifes in composition , colouring rather restrained. example still life fruit basket, lobster , oysters (at hampel 7 april 2016 munich, lot 189). these more moderate still lifes not believed reference vanitas theme rather celebrate varied gifts of nature.