Evaristo baschenis biography of barack

November 17, – March 4,
Robert Lehman Wing, main floor

Evaristo Baschenis (), the preeminent still life painter of 17th-century Italy, is best known for his hauntingly poetic paintings of musical instruments. Although largely unfamiliar to American audiences, these lyrical masterpieces of composition and color harmony combine baroque splendor with a masterful, restrained geometry. Their quality of time arrested has led to comparisons with the paintings of Chardin and Vermeer. Now, 18 paintings from public and private collections in the artist's native Bergamo and throughout northern Italy are featured in The Still Lifes of Evaristo Baschenis: The Music of Silence, on view at the Metropolitan Museum from November 17, through March 4, The exhibition also includes books on perspective and important examples of period musical instruments from the Metropolitan's own collections.

The exhibition is made possible by Banca Popolare di Bergamo-CreditoVaresino, in cooperation with Camera di Commercio di Bergamo.

The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with the Accademia Carrara of Bergamo, and the Superintendency of Milan, under the Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Regione Lombardia, Provincia di Bergamo and Comune di Bergamo.

Philippe de Montebello, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commented on the exhibition: "The Metropolitan is delighted to present the paintings of Evaristo Baschenis to our visitors, who may be encountering his extraordinarily poetic still-lifes for the first time. A painter of consummate technical achievement, Baschenis is among the most original of Italian 17th-century still-life painters."

Mr. de Montebello further noted: "As Director of the Metropolitan, it is gratifying to see the ways in which special exhibitions can be enriched by the participation of various dep

Lev-er, Ornat. "2. Still-Life as Culture". Still-Life as Portrait in Early Modern Italy: Baschenis, Bettera and the Painting of Cultural Identity, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, , pp.

Lev-er, O. (). 2. Still-Life as Culture. In Still-Life as Portrait in Early Modern Italy: Baschenis, Bettera and the Painting of Cultural Identity (pp. ). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Lev-er, O. 2. Still-Life as Culture. Still-Life as Portrait in Early Modern Italy: Baschenis, Bettera and the Painting of Cultural Identity. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, pp.

Lev-er, Ornat. "2. Still-Life as Culture" In Still-Life as Portrait in Early Modern Italy: Baschenis, Bettera and the Painting of Cultural Identity, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press,

Lev-er O. 2. Still-Life as Culture. In: Still-Life as Portrait in Early Modern Italy: Baschenis, Bettera and the Painting of Cultural Identity. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press; p

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By Livia Lupi

Painter Evaristo Baschenis was born in Bergamo on 7 December  The Baschenis family were painters and Evaristo cultivated painting and drawing along with his studies to become a priest.

Evaristo became accomplished both in the painting of figures and still life, and many of his works might still be hiding in private houses in Brescia and Bergamo. Two important paintings feature in the Agliardi collection in Bergamo. The first one is a self-portrait of Baschenis playing the spinet (a kind of harpsichord) with Count Agliardi, while the second represents two young men with instruments and books. These works among many others showcase Baschenis’ ability in the representation of textiles, from curtains to floor rugs, but also emphasise his interest in the aesthetic appeal of musical instruments. This innovative kind of still life, characterised by textiles of various types and above all by musical instruments, was imitated by many artists whose names are lost but for the Bergamo artists Bartolomeo Bettera and his son Bonaventura.

Baschenis became a priest at some point between and He travelled to Rome in and was able to dedicate most of his time to painting since his family were financially comfortable. 

In the s he met Jacques Courtois, also known as Borgognone, who was working in Bergamo at the time. The two artists became friends and Baschenis copied several of Courtois’s works for local patrons. However, Baschenis’s most prestigious commission was a series of paintings for the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. Unfortunately most of these works are lost.

Baschenis died in Bergamo on 16 March

Reference: Luigi Angelini. “Baschenis, Evaristo.” Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Enciclopedia Treccani.

See also: F.M. Tassi. Vite de’ pittori bergamaschi. Bergamo,

Further reading: 

Andrea Bayer. Still Lifes of Evaristo Baschenis: The Music of Silence. Olivares,

Marco Abate, ed. Evaris