ملف:Fra Juan Sánchez Cotán 001.jpg

(b. 1561, Orgaz, d. 1627, Granada)

Still-life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber c. 1600 Oil on canvas, 69 x 85 cm Museum of Art, San Diego

Sanchez Cotan studied in Toledo and here he established the prototype of the Spanish still-life composed mainly from vegetables.

Everyday objects: a melon, cut open to reveal its pale pink flesh, a knobbly cucumber, a yellow apple that is past its best, a cabbage with thick leaves. Parallel to the picture plane, a smooth frame delineates tbe opening for a window. From the direction of the spectator, light falls upon the parapet, on which the slice of melon and the cucumber are placed so that they jut over slightly and thereby they seem to be almost within reach - a trompe l'oeil effect that was particularly popular in Netherlandish painting in the 17th century. The head of cabbage and the apple, suspended on threads that presumably have been attached to the upper frame, are dangling over the gaping darkness.

Even if the objects are arranged so that they seem close enough to touch, they are nevertheless distanced. For all the naturalism with which they are depicted, the isolation of each object, heightened further by the black background, makes each of them seem extremely artificial and lends them a monumental, almost sculptural gravity. The centre of the picture is empty and the arrangement seems coincidental; the dimension of the painted picture is denied. The disturbing evocation of the painted picture is the main theme.

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Author: SANCHEZ COTÁN, Juan Title: Still-life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber Time-line: 1551-1600 School: Spanish Form: painting