DOI Artikel:
Kiepuszewski, Łukasz: Morandi i Chardin: obraz jako metafora procesu twórczego
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51757#0090
88
ŁUKASZ KIEPUSZEWSKI
MORANDI AND CHARDIN.
IMAGE AS A METAPHOR OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Summary
The art of the leading 20th century still-life painter Giorgio Morandi (1898-1960) drew inspiration from various sources. One of
the most important points of reference was Jean Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, an older master of still life active in the 18th century.
In this article, the dialogue with Chardin will thus be considered in the context of important inter-pictorial associations leading
to the reflection on the approach of both masters to the studied objects. Formal similarities between their paintings allow us to question
their relationships in terms of the ways of representing objects, with a particular emphasis on the difference in their materialization in
the field of vision.
An analysis of their works shows that in Chardin’s case the pictorial status and living texture of objects is an extension of the
interior in which they are located, while in Morandi’s they are isolated from it and their earlier functions. The objects appearing in the
paintings of the Bolognese painter are largely ‘eviscerated’ of any references to the rhythm of everyday life. Instead of a free gaze,
characteristic of the domesticated atmosphere evoked by Chardin’s paintings, Morandi’s compositions force the viewer to an intense and
focused contemplation, which corresponds to the painter’s own intense observation of the objects in his studio.
An important aspect of the comparison will be an analysis of the temporality of the perception of objects implied by the works
of both artists. Chardin’s still lifes aim to bring together the temporality of seeing objects and the time of seeing an image. They play
their game by simulating in the pictures the natural process of looking - they allow the viewers to freely immerse themselves in the
temporal development of the image. In their expression, Chardin’s paintings thus encourage the viewers to come to terms with the
material reality of the surrounding world. If the 18th century artist stages in his still lifes the man’s time of looking at objects, Morandi
activates the distinct temporality of the image itself. Looking at the latter’s works we experience pictorial fluctuations, in connection with
which objects appear like actors leaving their everyday lives behind them. In this register, they become participants in the drama taking
place in the act of observation, which touches upon the foundations of their existence. In Morandi’s paintings, the viewer is prompted
to reflect on the distance between one object and another; to experience the threshold between oneself and things.
This article, however, is not limited to the identification of analogies and differences, but also aims to show a special relationship
in which Chardin’s work stages elements of a still-life painter’s practice. From this point of view, Morandi’s reception of Chardin’s Boy
Building a House of Cards is important. An analysis of the testimony of the Italian artist’s encounter with this painting during his stay in
Winterthur shows that the art of the 18th century painter was for Morandi an object of a unique self-reflexive and existential identification.
fransi. Katarzyna Krzyżagórska-Pisarek
ŁUKASZ KIEPUSZEWSKI
MORANDI AND CHARDIN.
IMAGE AS A METAPHOR OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Summary
The art of the leading 20th century still-life painter Giorgio Morandi (1898-1960) drew inspiration from various sources. One of
the most important points of reference was Jean Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, an older master of still life active in the 18th century.
In this article, the dialogue with Chardin will thus be considered in the context of important inter-pictorial associations leading
to the reflection on the approach of both masters to the studied objects. Formal similarities between their paintings allow us to question
their relationships in terms of the ways of representing objects, with a particular emphasis on the difference in their materialization in
the field of vision.
An analysis of their works shows that in Chardin’s case the pictorial status and living texture of objects is an extension of the
interior in which they are located, while in Morandi’s they are isolated from it and their earlier functions. The objects appearing in the
paintings of the Bolognese painter are largely ‘eviscerated’ of any references to the rhythm of everyday life. Instead of a free gaze,
characteristic of the domesticated atmosphere evoked by Chardin’s paintings, Morandi’s compositions force the viewer to an intense and
focused contemplation, which corresponds to the painter’s own intense observation of the objects in his studio.
An important aspect of the comparison will be an analysis of the temporality of the perception of objects implied by the works
of both artists. Chardin’s still lifes aim to bring together the temporality of seeing objects and the time of seeing an image. They play
their game by simulating in the pictures the natural process of looking - they allow the viewers to freely immerse themselves in the
temporal development of the image. In their expression, Chardin’s paintings thus encourage the viewers to come to terms with the
material reality of the surrounding world. If the 18th century artist stages in his still lifes the man’s time of looking at objects, Morandi
activates the distinct temporality of the image itself. Looking at the latter’s works we experience pictorial fluctuations, in connection with
which objects appear like actors leaving their everyday lives behind them. In this register, they become participants in the drama taking
place in the act of observation, which touches upon the foundations of their existence. In Morandi’s paintings, the viewer is prompted
to reflect on the distance between one object and another; to experience the threshold between oneself and things.
This article, however, is not limited to the identification of analogies and differences, but also aims to show a special relationship
in which Chardin’s work stages elements of a still-life painter’s practice. From this point of view, Morandi’s reception of Chardin’s Boy
Building a House of Cards is important. An analysis of the testimony of the Italian artist’s encounter with this painting during his stay in
Winterthur shows that the art of the 18th century painter was for Morandi an object of a unique self-reflexive and existential identification.
fransi. Katarzyna Krzyżagórska-Pisarek