A Recent Remark

Someone recently remarked that my work reminded her of the Spanish painter Juan Sánchez Cotán (1560-1627.) From wikipedia:

"Sánchez Cotán was born in the town of Orgaz, near Toledo. He was a friend and perhaps pupil of Blas de Prado, an artist famous for his still lifes whose mannerist style with touches of realism, the disciple developed further. Cotán began by painting altar pieces and religious works. For approximately twenty years, he pursued a successful career in Toledo as an artist, patronized by the city’s aristocracy, painting religious scenes, portraits and still lifes. These paintings found a receptive audience among the educated intellectuals of Toledo society. Sánchez Cotán executed his notable still lifes around the turn of the seventeenth century, before the end of his secular life." - from wikipedia on Juan Sánchez Cotán

One of Cotán's most famous still lifes is titled Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber (1602, in the San Diego Museum of Art). It depicts the named objects hanging by strings in such a way they appear to create coordinates on a cartesian-algebraic arc. You can see an image of this piece online at the San Diego Museum of Art's excellent IMAGE gallery - as well as zoom in on details of an enlarged version.

edited 2/2/2009 to add links to the SDMA.