Kalf, Willem

Kalf, Willem

 or Willem Kalff

(born Nov. 3, 1619, Rotterdam, Neth.—died July 31, 1693, Amsterdam) Dutch painter. He is among the best-known Dutch painters of still lifes. His early works depict kitchen interiors, with such elements as gourds and pots strewn on the floor. His later paintings feature luxurious, expensive objects such as Venetian glass and Chinese porcelain, painted with restraint and richness of texture. Though his still lifes followed an established formula, Kalf greatly enriched the genre with his use of simple composition, dark background, and acutely perceived highlights. In restraint and richness of texture, Kalf's still lifes were seldom, if ever, matched. Works such as Still Life with a Nautilus Cup (c. 1660) were popular among Amsterdam's wealthy.

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Kalf, Willem 

Christened Nov. 3, 1619, in Rotterdam; died July 31, 1693, in Amsterdam. Dutch painter.

Kalf worked in France from about 1640 to 1645 and in Amsterdam after 1653. He created paintings that were modest in size and motif, but full of mood, depicting poor kitchens and backyards (for example, The Yard of a Peasant House, the Hermitage, Leningrad), as well as spectacular still lifes with expensive utensils and southern fruits (for example, Breakfast, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). Kalf’s brilliant virtuosity as a still-life painter was revealed in the classic fineness of the composition, a subtle feeling for the uniqueness of each object, the refinement and richness of chiaroscuro and color nuances, and the skillful juxtaposition of objects differing in color and texture.

REFERENCE

Gelder, H. E. van, W. C. Heda, and A. van Beyeren. W. Kalf Amster-dam [1941].