The Sense of Pleasure

by John T. Spike

The Sense of Pleasure is a collection of fifty nine still life paintings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that expresses the variety, abundance, nourishment, pleasures and mysteries of nature. The great masters of still life painting were from Italy, France and the Netherlands, all countries rich in food and trade. With the opening of the art market in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the wealthy merchant class looked for their favorite commodities expressed in a noble form, and the result was an explosion of still life painting throughout Europe.

The book is divided into six different interpretations of man's relationship to Nature. The categories range from paintings which include careful observations of animals and insects, to paintings that represent the sense of taste and smell. Flowers are also included.
Artists also included the cornucopia of the Harvest with an abundance of richly painted fruits and vegetables. A unique school of art, the pieces in this collection were selected not only for their quality of the painting but also the richness of their subject matter.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2003

About the author

John T. Spike, critic, curator, and art historian, is the author of more than twenty significant books on Renaissance and contemporary art and artists, including the highly praised Caravaggio (Abbeville Press). He lives in Florence and lectures frequently throughout America."