Evaristo Baschenis

Evaristo Baschenis painted still lifes of musical instruments: lutes, violins, guitars and harpsichords laid out on tables, their curves catching the light. His pictures are quiet, precise and geometric, and they started a fashion in Bergamo that lasted for more than a century.

Born in Bergamo, he spent his life there and came from a family of artists. He was a priest as well as a painter. His still lifes often include dust on the instruments, sheets of music and fruit, and they have a strong sense of silence. He also painted kitchen still lifes with food.

His works are in the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo and the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. Look at the dust on the backs of the lutes and the light on the curved wood.