Adriaen Coorte

The still lifes of Adriaen Coorte (active c.1683-1707) are much loved today. The unassuming quality of his attractive scenes is a key factor in this popularity. Most are small paintings of simple subjects. Everyday motifs loom large: a bunch of asparagus, a small bowl of strawberries, or a spray of gooseberries on a stone table-top. The most characterisric of Coorte's works are confined to a single type of fruit or vegetable. Coorte also depicted scenes featuring a few shells or nuts. He always opted for a dark-coloured background. These factors, combined with a bright illumination, give his still lifes a near-magical appearance. This highly readable and richly illustrated edition is published to accompany the retrospective exhibition Ode to Coorte in The Hague. The catalogue consists of two parts: an introductory essay and an overview of Coorte's entire oeuvre. Since many paintings have resurfaced in recent years, this oeuvre catalogue can serve as a new, updated reference...