Spanish school; following Flemish models; 18th century.

Spanish school; following Flemish models; 18th century.
"Still life".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 71 x 122 cm; 90 x 142 cm (frame).
Painting belonging to the Spanish school of the eighteenth century and made following Flemish models, is a remarkable example of the survival of the Baroque naturalist tradition within the genre of still life in the Hispanic area. This type of compositions, direct heir of the works of Flemish masters such as Frans Snyders, Jan Davidsz. de Heem or Clara Peeters, found in Spain a fertile ground for its development, adapting to local tastes and to a more sober and contained sensibility.
The scene shows a balanced arrangement of objects on a table: an intensely illuminated red lobster occupies the center of the composition, flanked by an earthenware jug, a melon half and various fruits, grapes, apples, peaches, which are grouped in a basket in the background. The composition is completed with an artichoke and other vegetable elements arranged around the crustacean, configuring a set that, beyond its apparent realism, has a symbolic charge linked to abundance, sensory pleasure and the transience of earthly goods.
The artist demonstrates a solid knowledge of the resources of chiaroscuro, articulating the scene through a dark background that accentuates the tactile and chromatic presence of the objects. The light, directed and concentrated, creates strong hallmarks that highlight the volume of the lobster and the shiny texture of the fruits, in clear debt to the tenebrist painting of the Golden Age. This dramatic use of lighting, together with the detail in the representation of surfaces, the roughness of the shell, the smoothness of the earthenware, the moist shine of the melon flesh, reveals the direct influence of Flemish models spread in Spain through engravings and court collections.
From a stylistic point of view, the work maintains the naturalistic spirit of the previous century, but with a greater compositional and chromatic refinement, typical of the 18th century. The artist, although anonymous, demonstrates an appreciable technical capacity: the drawing is firm, the spatial structure coherent and the chromatic range rich but contained, dominated by the warm tones of red, ochre and gold, which contrast with the deep greens and blacks of the background.