Kalf, Willem

Christened Nov. 3, 1619, in Rotterdam; died July 31, 1693, in Amsterdam. Dutch painter.

Kalf worked in France from about 1640 to 1645 and in Amsterdam after 1653. He created paintings that were modest in size and motif, but full of mood, depicting poor kitchens and backyards (for example, The Yard of a Peasant House, the Hermitage, Leningrad), as well as spectacular still lifes with expensive utensils and southern fruits (for example, Breakfast, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). Kalf’s brilliant virtuosity as a still-life painter was revealed in the classic fineness of the composition, a subtle feeling for the uniqueness of each object, the refinement and richness of chiaroscuro and color nuances, and the skillful juxtaposition of objects differing in color and texture.