Essay on WILLEM HEDA “STILL LIFE”
Analyzing the works of the Dutch painter Willem Heda, it is worth saying that his skills in representing reflections is appreciated worldwide, and is viewed as masterful. These two works share a common title with slight differences. Heda used oil paints to reflect his ideas. As it is known from the biography of the painter, he focused on his Still Life series in the later years of his career. In his paintings he used panels as materials for his works. Those panels are basically a kind of wood. Willem Heda was skillful at monochrome style of Still Lives. Such paintings are narrowed in the use of colors. It may be derived from the very notion “monochrome”, which literally means “one color”. A common feature of the painting in the museum and the one in the book is the use of the same objects in both paintings. As a matter of fact, the painter tends to use such objects in a number of his Still Lives. The use of similar objects in his paintings can be explained by the desire of the painter to practice his techniques of painting instead of changing objects. It is considered that Willem Heda was especially skillful at depicting silver and tin. Besides, these objects were probably especially suitable for practicing reflections. It is evident both in the painting given in the textbook and the one in the museum.
Analyzing the differences between those two paintings, it is important to mention that they differ in size and color. As for the size, it is evident that viewing a painting in-person results in greater impressions than viewing it in the book. In the museum one can see the painting in its full size, which is approximately 24/36, while the painting in the book is around 16/22 in size. The differences in size are considerable, and the viewer may be surprised by the actual size of the work provided by the museum. As for colors and the depiction of light on both paintings, one may also notice differences. In the book there can be seen an old wooden table with a few metal plates with a lemon and a knife on one of the plates. Everything is depicted in a dull light without any bright colors. The lemon has been pealed a little and cut, and there is also depicted the twirled skin which is hanging off the plate. The coloring of the painting is monochrome. Only a lemon is depicted in a bright yellow color. As for the three-dimensional effects, the lemon is placed in the front in order to catch an eye of the viewer. Such dimensional effect also helps to produce a sense of space in the painting. Both of the paintings are done by oil on a panel. As for the depiction of textures in these painting it is monochrome. Besides, on the painting in the museum I could see roughness of texture, while in the book it is smooth.
After viewing the painting in the museum, I realized that Heda liked to depict silver plates with twinkling flecks. I also understood that he depicted the reflections on bright and smooth surfaces with much skill. It can be seen from his painting in the museum, while the reproduction of the painting in the book does not create such an image. In the book, the colors are duller than on the museum painting. After viewing it in the museum, I found out that his paintings are distinguished by the sophistication of colors and exquisite work. Although the painter depicted common things such as plates, he managed to create an original image, which is greatly appreciated by viewers. In the museum I could see a masterful depiction of form, color and facture of every detail, which show the beauty of the objective world.
