Thursday, March 25, 2010

Luis Melendez--Master of the Spanish Still LIfe

Last summer a friend of mine recently recommended I go to the exhibit of Luis Melendez at the National Gallery of Art. I didn't make it to the exhibit, but fortunately, the book showcasing the exhibit, Luis Melendez--Master of the Spanish Still Life (Hirschauer, Metzger, Cherry, Sesena), is fabulous. The book is a painter's treasure trove with full-page close-ups of the sumptuous paintings along with x-radiographs and microphotographs of the pigment layers of the paintings.  The style of his work may not appeal to everyone with its muted natural tones and frank realism, nevertheless Melendez deserves to be included on the list of great still life masters.

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