Details of Renaissance Paintings - Art Essay Example

The painting is in a traditional style of the Baroque art in Northern Europe and with extreme attention to the details. In the still life painting, breakfast still life with glass and metal work, the painter, Jan Jansz. Den Uyl illustrates a scene of a finished breakfast in a wealthy Dutch family. In the scene, there are objects of glassware, porcelain, metal works, and unfinished food. The painter uses oil paint as a medium to show the smooth light of the surface of metallic work. The background is dark, dull, and smoky; it may refer some death illusion and silence atmosphere. Through the nice background and the pricey table works, the view can tell that this is a wealthy family, and it is a high-quality meal.

Through the objects of the painting, viewers can tell that this is a high-quality meal, and Netherland at that time experienced a flourishing trade and economic prosperity. The table works illustrate non-royal Dutch civilians in the 1700s are able to have a high-quality life as well. In the middle center of the scene, there is a copper candlestick, and which is eye catching compared with other metal works in ash black tone. The copper candlestick has some fancy flower shape engraves at the bottom and linear embellishments on the holder. From the details, the viewers can tell the candlestick is carefully handmade. The embellishment and pricey material create a luxurious keynote of the whole scene since it is in the center of the painting and the golden tone color is outstanding. Besides, there is an elegant blue and white porcelain dish above the candlestick. The blue and white porcelain has some exquisite graphic patterns, which shows its high quality and careful production. It also indicates Dutch flourish trade at that time, since China is not a native productive good. Instead, it is imported commodity. Like the two crafts mentioned above, the gray goblet also has dedicated convex unknown decorations on the holder. And the size is larger compared to the candlestick. The gray goblet is close to audiences; the artist may want to emphasize the lean gray goblet. Furthermore, the combination of the gray goblet and the golden tone candlestick makes the whole scene looks even more classy and fancy. In the background, there is a niche one the wall, which shows that the home is carefully decorated, which also indicates that the family is rich and have extra money to embellish their dining room.

The color used in this painting together with the light, and shadow composition makes the scene three dimensional and layered. First of all, the color used by the painter is carefully chosen. The color of the table comprises of two contrast colors, black, and white. The white line emphasizes the glassware and table work on the tabletop. This color makes the audiences to focus the tableware initially as this makes it easy for them to notice the details. On the right edge of the table top, there are some unfinished pie and crumbs that add the realism to the scene, which makes audience know better about the Dutch life at that time. In the middle of the scene, there are two spotlights, the copper candlestick and the blue and white porcelain dish. These two spotlights make the whole scene vivid and substantial. The background is a vintage cream colored wall and niche, which indicates that the wall may have been made of a fancy material, marble or fancy stone instead of some wooden material. Secondly, the structure of the scene is carefully composed. On the background, there is a concave niche on the wall, which is a great combination of the gray transparent tall lampshade or something else. The concave niche emphasizes gray lampshade and adds the three-dimensional feeling to the whole scene.

Fourth, the whole scene is vivid and realism. From the scene, the viewers are able to know the daily life of a normal wealthy Dutch family, and from the details in the scene, viewers can know it is a just finished breakfast. A long piece of black cloth covering the tabletop is visible on the right end. On the black cloth, there is a plate of half-eaten pie and a silver spoon laying on it. On the edge of the table top, there is a glass half-filled with an unknown beverage. A trail of black smoke of the candle is rising from the candlestick holder, which gives an atmosphere of silence after noises.

What the painter has achieved in trying to show his mastery in the painting is the progression of light to darkness as this is depicted to coincide with the temporality of the materials utilized such as the durable metal to the perishable commodities. From the painting, one can also draw some analogous relationships between decay and death. This is well represented by the conditions of the leftover foods that are on the table. Some of the crumbs depicted in the picture could act as a representative of the passing nature of pleasure that the painter intended since it does not represent a continuous progression of time. Moreover, Uyl has is successful in trying to condense the life of individuals into three stages. Some of the smooth cheese surfaces depicted in the picture could act as being representative of the youthful and unblemished skin of young individuals. It is imperative to comprehend that the painter could have opted to use more appetizing colors to represent life, but he chose dark colors. It is thus evident that Uyl had the intentions of representing death and not youthful exuberance.

There is however little evidence to suggest the brilliance of the painters brush. This, however, does not represent the artists mastery since the painter could have intended to use smooth and precise brushwork to create a feeling of detachment to the viewer. The overall message that Uyl is trying to send is that death is imminent to any individual and there is no way that one can escape it. It is thus vital for an individual to savor life as it is now while preparing for the afterlife. Moreover, Uyl is successful in showing that there is no form of religious imagery. There is, however, a clear imagery of death while at the same time a warning against overindulging in worldly things. The immortal nature of glass and metal used by the artist is used contrasted with perishables. One may argue that the painting was to remind the wealthy Dutch merchants at the time to be wary of earthly possessions and that worldly concerns should not take over spiritual concerns.