Biographies

Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (1699 – 1779) Chardin was born in Paris, the son of a cabinetmaker. admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1728 Some useful words by Nicholas Pioch from The Web Museum : http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/chardin/ Characterized by subdued colors and mellow lighting, these works celebrate the beauty of their commonplace subjects and project an aura of humanity, intimacy, and honest domesticity. Chardin’s technical skill gave his paintings an uncannily realistic texture. He rendered forms by means of light by using thick, layered brushstrokes and thin, luminous glazes. Called the grand magician by critics, he achieved a mastery in these areas unequaled by any other 18th-century painter. Chardin’s early support came from aristocratic patrons, including King Louis XV. He later gained a wider popularity when engraved copies of his works were produced.