The dutch artists of the seventeenth century were renowned for being able to depict the visual reality of what they saw with amazing realism. Bert Ernie has painted this homage to the painters of the Dutch golden age with his contemporary still life.
Another example of the art world. As soon as they see something photorealistic they behave in the most discriminatory fashion. This was specifically painted to win an art show. So what happened? The curators literally hid it under a stairwell.
The person that one that year was an average ‘weekend painter’ whose turn it must have been to receive the accolades from the judges.
Dimensions: 60x80cm
Painted: 2010
Materials: Acrylic on MDF board
Private collection
The story behind Still life with crab
Bert painted this still life painting to enter into the Camberwell Art Show. The process started with him buying all of the ingredients and setting up the scene before taking the photograph. The source photo’s background was replaced with a black because the purpose of the painting was to pay homage to Dutch artists of the seventeenth century.
It took over a hundred hours to draw and the paint the artwork. It was entered into the Camberwell Art Show and was subsequently displayed in the most remote location the organizers could pick. It was placed in a corner and underneath a stairwell. Bert was livid. Instead of being exposed to a reasonable level of foot traffic the painting was almost hidden away. This added to his growing disdain for those that worked in what he sees as the most corrupt industry in the world.
Source image of realism painting Still life with crab
Detail views of realism painting Still life with crab
