Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin – the creator of beauty in the depiction of everyday life

Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin (French: Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin; born November 2, 1699 – died December 6, 1779) – Parisian painter of the 18th century, a unique master of color rendering. The work of Jean Baptiste Chardin was based on careful observation of the surrounding life. His paintings are alien to mythological pomposity, the plots are simple, everyday, full of warmth and soulful light.

Jean Baptiste Chardin remained misunderstood by the critics of his era, but he put up with it, without changing the truthful manner of depicting genre scenes. His still lifes, unlike Flemish and Dutch, are devoid of emphasized rudeness, graceful, simple, like the whole life of a modest Parisian.

Biography of Jean Baptiste Chardin Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin was born in the Parisian quarter of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, in the family of a simple craftsman, in the late autumn of 1699 – November 2. From infancy, he absorbed the spirit of ordinary townspeople, honest craftsmen, with their small joys and everyday worries.

His father and mother were happy to discover their son’s talent for drawing. The status of an artist gave the opportunity for better earnings and fame. Therefore, the boy was sent as an apprentice to the outstanding historical painter Pierre-Jacques Cazes. During his studies, he enthusiastically copied the paintings of his teacher.

Subsequently, Jean Baptiste Chardin’s mentors were the engraver and painter Noel-Nicolas Coypel, the portraitist Van Loo. The latter involved the young man in the restoration of the frescoes of the Fontainebleau Palace, instilling a love for portraiture and fine color rendering.

But still life remained Chardin’s most native genre. Fruits, hunting trophies, and household items depicted by him were initially mistaken for works by famous Flemish masters. In 1728, his “Skate”, exhibited at a debutante show, so impressed the famous academician Nicolas de Largillierre that he recommended the young artist to try his hand at the prestigious Academy of Painting and Sculpture.

The 1730s marked the beginning of the creation of a number of genre scenes of everyday life, in which the author depicted a calm family life and the measured pace of city life. A striking example that came from his brush is “Prayer before Dinner”, painted in 1744 and highly appreciated by art connoisseurs.

The famous artist lived his entire life without leaving Paris. He devoted his last years to mastering pastel drawing, creating beautiful portraits. Including his own self-portrait of 1775.

Intrigues, criticism, and the unexpected suicide of his son undermined Chardin’s health. He continued to paint, devoting his last strength to painting, but a long illness led to the fact that on December 6, 1779, the elderly and sick artist died, a month before his eightieth birthday.