Still Life with Cheese

Floris van Dijck painted this table of food in 1615, in Haarlem. He was one of the first Dutch painters to specialize in still life, and this painting is among the earliest Dutch still lifes that survive. A table is seen from above, tilted slightly toward the viewer. On the table: a stack of three round cheeses, one with a wedge cut out of it. A white linen cloth. Apples, pears, and walnuts in a pewter dish. A knife with a decorated handle. A piece of bread. A glass of wine. A small bowl of olives. The table is covered with a white cloth that drapes over the front edge, and the food is arranged in a careful, symmetrical pattern. Van Dijck painted this at a time when still life was not yet an established genre in the Netherlands. The first Dutch still lifes, from the 1590s, were banquet scenes with loaded tables. Van Dijck simplified the format: he reduced the number of objects and focused on their textures. The cheese is the largest object on the table, and it is painted with attention to its rind, its cut surface, and the way it catches the light. The apples and pears are each painted individually, with different colors and markings. Almost nothing is known about Van Dijck's life. He was born in Haarlem, traveled to Italy, and returned to Haarlem where he painted a small number of still lifes between about 1610 and 1620. He died in 1651. His work influenced the next generation of Dutch still life painters, including Pieter Claesz and Willem Claesz Heda, who would paint quieter, more monochromatic breakfast pieces in the 1630s and 1640s. Oil on panel, 82 by 112 centimeters, roughly 32 by 44 inches. Van Dijck painted with a smooth, controlled surface, building the textures of cheese, fruit, and linen in thin layers. The light comes from the upper left, casting soft shadows that give the objects weight and volume. This print works in a kitchen or dining room, where the food subject suits the setting. The warm yellows of the cheese and the green and red of the fruit pair with wood cabinets, white tiles, and copper cookware. The 16x20 size shows the individual objects clearly. In a larger dining room, the 18x24 version fills a wall without dominating it. The painting has been in the Rijksmuseum since 1808.