Even the surest admirers of Chardin sometimes were surprised that the artist wastes his great talent for “low” and “unethical” stories.
It seemed to the admirers that Monsieur Chardin lacked a general education, that for this reason he was inspired by kitchen utensils and the life of the laundresses, instead of painting the exploits of ancient heroes. However, most likely, it was not the uneducated nature of the artist that was involved.
In his youth, he spent many hours in the studio of Pierre Jacques Caz, the master of historical painting, copying his paintings. Perhaps, something more sublime than the canvas of Kaza, it was difficult to find. Chardin himself recalled this time: “We spend long days and nights in the light of lamps before immobile inanimate nature.”
And so, when, at last, the young artist left the workshop of Kaz and collided with the “living nature”, he saw that it was much more diverse and picturesque than all those subjects that his mentor had offered him. And – most importantly – has more souls in it.
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