Friday, Nov. 6, 1964
University Daily Kansan
Page 7
Salzer Collection Depicts Early Art
By Colleen Hayes
The Salzer Collection of "Trompe-Loeil and Still Life Paintings," current loan exhibition at the Museum of Art, presents a wide range of subject matter, representing European and American Art of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This collection might be called "The Portrait of the Dealer as a Collector," denoting an interesting point of view in the personal inclinations of a Los Angeles art dealer, Oscar Salzer.
In the exhibition, one can trace the efforts of artists through three centuries to fool the eye, or at least to beguile it with a revelation of beauty in familiar things. A commentary in the exhibition catalogue by A. Bret Waller, curator of the museum, illustrates this idea: "Pliny's well known account of the competition between the painters Zeuxis and Parrhasius, whatever its factual basis, embodies a pair of interesting ideas about the nature and purpose of painting: first, that illusion — or even deception—is a primary aim; and second, that even humble objects such as a bunch of grapes or a curtain can become a worthy subject, provided the illusion is good enough."
THE PRIMARY difference between trompe-Loeil paintings and more conventional still lifes is achieved through the treatment of pictorial space: apparent depth is reduced to an absolute minimum. The illusionary device is achieved only by using flat objects and a representation from which almost all suggestion of depth has been eliminated. Trompe-Loeil painting, once popular in Europe, went out of fashion by the end of the 17th Century. However, in America, this specialized mode was taken up by Charles Wilson Peale, and later, by 19th Century artists William Harnet and John F. Peto.
Certain trompe-l'oeil paintings in this exhibition, for instance Cornelis Gysbrechts' "The Cupboard," contain features linking them to the popular Vanitastype: "symbols of transience," an hour glass. pocket watches, almanacs are utilized, representing the transitory nature of tangible possessions. Another important precedent for both conventional still life and trompe-l'oeil represented in the collection is the Italian intarsia decoration, prevalent in the 15th Century, which consists of executions in wood on furniture and walls, displaying an elaborate scheme of architectural motifs including niches, pilasters, cupboards with doors standing slightly ajar. Such an intricately designed illusion is only effective when viewed from a specific point in the room, as the "Barber's Corner" by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, which must be seen from below and slightly to the left to create a successful illusion.
Still life paintings present certain differences of genus, such as "Kitchen Still Life" of the German School, 17th Century, and a still life painting from the workshop of Velazquez, both of which seem to have evolved from genre subjects such as Odekerken's "The Kitchen Maid," one of the paintings in the exhibition. The latter work originated in sacred scenes in which similar objects appeared as symbols, accessories, attributes. Another genre is represented by Willem Kalf's "Still Life with Silver Cup," which features rare and costly articles, following precedents established in subjects providing an opportunity for rich display, such as the portrayal of St. Eligius, patron of goldsmiths.
A DISTINCTION is not always easily drawn between still life types and trompe-l'oeil paintings, such as the fruit piece attributed to Willem van Aelst.
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