goblet Willem Claesz Heda

Description of Willem Head’s painting "Still Life"

It is interesting that Heda, the creator of amazing still life paintings, first tried his hand at painting portraits and subjects on religious themes. Only much later he stopped at still life painting, where he became famous as a great master.

You can see that in the paintings of this painter present the same objects, just slightly rearranged or diluted with some innovations. Why is that? The explanation is simple. Heda came from a time when not everything could be spoken openly, so certain signs had flower buds, colors of clothing, and even certain poses.

Of course, paintings were also able to "talk." So, for example, a ham on the table signified the joys of feeling, silverware expressed wealth and riches, an extinguished candle signified someone’s extinguished life, and the lemon was a sure sign of freshness and beauty, seasoned with a hint of bitterness.

Hed’s still lifes could be read like notes. The clutter on the tabletop reflects a certain confusion of life. A light tablecloth of fine, rich material should be impeccably smooth and clean, as, ideally, is our life, yet no one has yet been able to boast of such flawlessness.

Very often instead of a smooth cloth there are folds, wrinkles, stains, and sometimes huge folds. Or even the entire "tablecloth" of life is rolled up in a ball and there is no time to straighten it out. Silverware is tall and noble, but a goblet with wine is slumped over on its side, probably for a reason, too.

The filled glass, on the other hand, remained standing, gleaming with its rounded sides. Of course, every feast of life has its own "lemon," here it is written brightly, stands out juicy spot, though, already tried, incised skin dangling dejectedly from the table. The lemon is no longer needed.

Hed’s favorite brown tones give the whole still life a kind of warmth. Even the clutter here looks refined and elegant.