Chardin. The painter of silence

Written by  Sergio Lenzi e Piero Puglioli

After the Palazzo dei Diamanti, the exhibition will be shown at the Prado Museum in MadridJean Siméon Chardin, “Soap Bubbles” or “Young man blowing bubbles”, c. 1734, oil on canvas, cm 93 x 74,6 Washington, National Gallery of Art. Gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson, Washington, image courtesy National Gallery of Art

The Chardin. The painter of silence exhibition confirms the up-todateness of the project that Ferrara Arte have been promoting over the last eighteen years, with remarkable results.  The  exhibition pays tribute to a central character in one of the most fascinating periods of art history:

Jean Siméon Chardin, 18th-century French painter, who greatly influenced many modern masters, such as Van Gogh. Chardin was one of the few artists to“Basket of plums, bottle, glass of water and cucumbers”, c. 1728, oil on canvas, cm 45 x 50,1 New York, The Frick Collection, New York, © The Frick Collection raise everyday objects and the gestures of ordinary people to a level of artistic representation, portraying the importance of simplicity and thereby fascinating his noteworthy contemporaries. Starting from his youthful still life work to the genre paintings of his early maturity, and culminating with the masterpieces of the late period, the exhibition at the Palazzo dei Diamanti illustrates the entire career of an artist, aimed at achieving a harmonious balance between form and reality. Thanks to a network of collaboration with museums, art collectors and scholars of international standing, the exhibition provides a magnificent opportunity for knowledge and study, as it is the first time that such a complete display of Chardin's paintings has been staged in Italy. “Basket of wild strawberries”, 1761, oil on canvas, cm 38 x 46 Paris, Private Collection, © rmn / René-Gabriel Ojéda distr. AlinariThese are the reasons why the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara share the aims and criteria that have guided the long “Girl playing with a shuttlecock” or “Girl with shuttlecock”, 1737, oil on canvas, cm 81 x 65 Private Collection, © The Bridgeman Art Library, photo by Peter Williterm planning of Ferrara Arte and have constantly supported their activities since their inception. The firm conviction that investing in culture contributes to the civil, social and economic development of the region leads us to concentrate all our efforts, even in the difficult times that our country is facing, in order to ensure that the cultural life of Ferrara continues to benefit from our support.