As I was saying here, when I wrote about young British artists drawing inspiration from Old Masters, last year Otto Naumann had an intriguing exhibit of painting by Mark Lijftogt, a Dutchman whose still lifes pay homage to 17th Century Dutch works.
When I saw Lijftogt’s paintings, I immediately thought Jan Davidsz de Heem. Take a look, especially at the reflections in the glass.
I couldn’t find, online, a good image showing the De Heem works it brought to mind, but this example will remind you of what I’m talking about.
Lijftogt seems to be self-taught, according to his bio, but aided by conservators at the Rijksmuseum (more images of his work are on his website). I gather from a few conversations with dealers that at least a few other young Dutch artists are reinterpreting their still life tradition. (In 1999, the Cleveland Museum of Art mounted a show of works by two contemporary Dutch photographers working in this vein.) I’d like to see more.
Photo credit: Courtesy Mark Lijftogt