Claesz, Pieter

Also called Pieter Claesz Van Haarlem Dutch painter who achieved a striking simplicity and atmospheric quality in still-life representations. Avoiding the crowded compositions and strong local colouring of the Mannerist tradition, Pieter Claesz concentrated on the monochrome Breakfast piece, the depiction of a simple meal set near the corner of a table. The play of light on the characteristic objects-a glass of wine, a knife, a metal plate with fish or bread, and a bowl of berries-creates a rich effect while preserving the solidity of the forms. His Still Life with a Burning Candle (1627) and the Breakfast Still Life (1647) show a subtle variation of closely related monochrome colours, which in his later, more Baroque work became stronger. Claesz's increasingly decorative work after 1640 includes lavish still-life displays. His son, Claes Pieterszoon Berchem, was a famous landscape painter.

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