Spanish Still Life in the Golden Age 1600-1650

Just when Cervantes was expanding the philosophical and literary range of the novel, artists in Spain were adopting secular ways of seeing. Between 1600 and 1650 they did still life paintings of such detached observation and formal purity that comparison with Mondrian, Cezanne and Albers is apt. In Walnuts, by Antonio de Pereda, the convoluted innards of the nuts, examined with the care of a surgeon, are an eerie sight.Juan Fernandez wrought existential marvels with grapes and apples. This valuable catalogue of a touring exhibition focuses on 46 paintings by 15 artists. It casts fresh light on a period and an art form unfamiliar to most, even to fans of Dutch still life. The Spanish school had a wealth of styles; miles separate Francisco de Zurbaran's stark symmetries from Van der Hamen's lush cosmopolitan concoctions. (October)