Luis Egidio Meléndez

Luis Egidio Meléndez (1716–1780) was a Spanish painter. Though he received little acclaim during his lifetime and died in poverty, Meléndez is recognized as one of the greatest Spanish still-life painters of the 18th century. His mastery of composition and light, and ability to convey the volume and texture of individual objects enabled him to transform the most mundane of kitchen fare into powerful images.

Life

Luis Egidio Meléndez de Rivera Durazo y Santo Padre was born in Naples in 1716 to Francisco Meléndez de Rivera Diaz (1682 – after 1758) and Maria Josefa Durazo y Santo Padre Barrille. Meléndez's father, a miniaturist painter from Oviedo, had moved to Madrid with his older brother, the portrait painter Miguel Jacinto Meléndez (1679–1734) in pursuit of artistic instruction.

Whereas Miguel remained in Madrid to study and became a painter in the court of Philip V of Spain, Francisco left for Italy in 1699. Francisco took a special interest in visiting the Italian academies and settled in Naples where he married. Of these paintings thirty nine are today in the Museo del Prado, and it is rare to find his work outside of Spain.

Despite his talent, Meléndez lived in poverty for most of his life, and in 1772 in a letter to the king he declared that he only owned his brushes. Unappreciated in his time, when he died in Madrid in 1780, he was indigent.

Bodegón style

Meléndez updated and enriched the austere tradition of Spanish still life painting, which had been initiated by the 17th-century masters Juan Sánchez Cotán and Francisco de Zurbarán. Like them, Meléndez studied light's effects, texture and the color of fruits and vegetables as well as the earthenware, glass and copper pots beside which the fruit is displayed. Unlike the 17th-century masters, however, his subject matter is presented physically closer to the viewer, at a lower vantage point, encouraging the spectator to study the objects for themselves. This exploration was in keeping with the growing spirit of Enlightenment and the king's interest in natural history.

Meléndez was attracted to still life to paint the ordinary stuff of everyday life, which he studied with a visual interest in the everyday normality of form. Each still-life painting by Meléndez reveals a technical skill at constructing compositions. Meléndez conveyed the solidity and precise texture of objects in compositions. He employed a low vantage point and close-up view of objects placed on a tabletop to give his forms a monumentality. The use of strong lighting to bring out the volume of the objects enhanced his descriptive skill.

Meléndez seems to have spent more time lighting his scenes than preparing pigments for his palette. He loved painting reflections on the surfaces, edges, and rims of lemons, copper pots, ceramic bowls, plums, and melons. This contributes to the lively character and rhythm of his work. Meléndez described his works as "an amusing cabinet with all types of foodstuffs that the Spanish climate produces".

His works outside the Museo del Prado are: Still life with Oranges, Walnuts and Boxes of Sweetmeats (National Gallery, London); Still Life with Lemons and Oranges (National Gallery, London); Still life with a Plate of Plums, Pears and Fruit Basket (Masaveu Collection, Museo de Bellas Artes, Asturias); and Still life with Red Breams and Oranges (Private Collection).

Exhibitions From February 17 - May 16, 2004, the Museo Nacional del Prado exhibited Luis Meléndez: The Still Life. The exhibit later traveled to National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. A catalog accompanied the exhibit and was coordinated by Raquel González Escribano.

In 2009, the National Gallery of Art organized Luis Meléndez exhibiting his still life paintings and other works, as well as his self-portrait (loaned by the Musée du Louvre). The exhibit was shown at the National Gallery (May 17 - August 23, 2009), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, (September 27, 2009 - January 3, 2010) and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (February 2 - May 9, 2010).