MELENDEZ
1450-1516

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Meléndez mixes 4 different materials with 4 very different textures, achieving a balanced contrast. He plays with mastery, the progression of colours from the dark red, browns of the pitcher, through the copper,and the orange of the salmon, finishing up with the yellow of the lemon.

Cucumbers, Still Life
(Bodegón de los Pepinos)
ORIGINAL SIZE: 16.53" X 28.34"

Meléndez´s mastery of light is very evident in this piece. The tomatoes and cucumbers amass great luminosity in the foreground yet he chooses paler light for the background.
Curiosity: Tomatoes seem to have different standards for looks today than in Meléndez´s time.

Meléndez´s struggle in this painting was to achieve equal importance in the contrasted colours, the bread, the pitcher, and the plums. His harmonious results are evidence of his mastery.

Apples, Still Life
(Bodegón de las Manzanas)

Meléndez obviously dominated the art of still life. If in the Cherries Still Life, he played with contrast, in this piece the chromium lighting over the objects shows off his special abilities once more. In any case, a balanced and serene still life.

Not only did Meléndez dominate the techniques, he also dominated the formats. He fills this piece equally with horizontal and vertical.

Also with texture, colours, lighting, and forms...it would be hard to fill this still life with anything more, his signature and the date are found as in most of his works, on the edge of the table.

Cherries, Still Life
(Bodegón de las Cerezas)

The subjects seem to escape out through the sides, the vertical format made him use dark, sombre colours for the background.

Once again Meléndez uses contrasting colours, yellows, reds, greens, and greys.