Luis Egidio Meléndez

LUIS EGIDIO MELÉNDEZ (Naples, 1716 - Madrid, 1780)
"Still life with honey and bread".
Oil on canvas.
Attached pigment analysis and expertise of Don José Gómez Frechina.
Presents restorations.
Measurements: 35 x 48 cm; 44 x 66 cm (frame).
The style of this work is very reminiscent of the painting that currently belongs to the collection of the Prado Museum, entitled "Still life with cantarilla, bread and basket with table objects". In both we can appreciate the presence of bread and local pottery as the undisputed protagonists of the scene; however, it is the technical quality and the use of a detailed and precise brushstroke, which manages to capture the textures of each element, which is put in value in both paintings mentioned above. In this work we can appreciate the sober and naturalistic style typical of the Spanish still life school, with the use of an ocher chromatic range so characteristic of the time, also noticing the painter's interest in geometry that is reflected in the use of pure forms that serve as a base and provide volume and depth to the elements that make up this still life.

Because of these characteristics, this still life can be related to the production of Luis Egidio Meléndez, a continuator of the brilliant Hispanic execution of the 17th century and author of magnificent still lifes, a genre that was his specialty, although he also worked on figure subjects. A Spanish painter born in Italy, he was the son of Francisco Antonio, the miniaturist, and nephew of Miguel Jacinto, the portraitist. He began his education in Madrid with his father and later followed the classes of the Preparatory Board of the Academy of San Fernando, being a student of Louis-Michel van Loo. The expulsion of his father from the Board determined his dismissal from academic studies, so the young Meléndez made a trip to Italy to continue his education. Upon his return to Spain, he initially worked as a miniaturist, but his preponderant role was developed in still life, becoming one of the most outstanding still life painters in the history of the genre, and undoubtedly the most brilliant of the Spanish 18th century. In fact, he is represented in the most prominent art galleries around the world, including the Prado Museum and the Louvre. Meléndez is an expert in the treatment of surfaces, showing an extraordinary ability to give an idea of the qualities of things: fruits, dead animals, ceramics, glass, cork, textiles, metals or stone. Although in some canvases he introduces a landscape background that brings them closer to the Neapolitan still life, most of his works are, in form and concept, similar to the one presented here, with several elements arranged in a clear structure on the surface of a table placed parallel to the lower edge of the painting, highlighted on a dark background that links directly with the Spanish masters of the XVII century. A master of expressive force and almost a magician of technique, Meléndez reflects, in his desire for accuracy, the principles of the enlightened world in his application to describe the elements in a way that can be understood as didactic.