Chardin

The French artist Chardin (1699—1779) is regarded as the most important 18th-century painter of still life and genre scenes, creating masterpieces within what were considered two minor spheres. With infinite subtlety he painted a confined world of domestic interiors and everyday objects, and made portraits conveying psychological depths and a profound humanity. Written by the leading specialist on the artist, Pierre Rosenberg, together with Hélène Prigent, Chardin explores his life and works, the artistic context of the 18th century, the development of his style and the critical reception in his time and in later years.