TY - JOUR N2 - The art of the leading 20th century still-life painter Giorgio Morandi (1898–1960) drew inspiration from various sources. One of the most important points of reference was Jean Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, an older master of still life active in the 18th century. In this article, the dialogue with Chardin will thus be considered in the context of important inter-pictorial associations leading to the reflection on the approach of both masters to the studied objects. Formal similarities between their paintings allow us to question their relationships in terms of the ways of representing objects, with a particular emphasis on the difference in their materialization in the field of vision. An analysis of their works shows that in Chardin’s case the pictorial status and living texture of objects is an extension of the interior in which they are located, while in Morandi’s they are isolated from it and their earlier functions. The objects appearing in the paintings of the Bolognese painter are largely ‘eviscerated’ of any references to the rhythm of everyday life. Instead of a free gaze, characteristic of the domesticated atmosphere evoked by Chardin’s paintings, Morandi’s compositions force the viewer to an intense and focused contemplation, which corresponds to the painter’s own intense observation of the objects in his studio. An important aspect of the comparison will be an analysis of the temporality of the perception of objects implied by the works of both artists. Chardin’s still lifes aim to bring together the temporality of seeing objects and the time of seeing an image. They play their game by simulating in the pictures the natural process of looking – they allow the viewers to freely immerse themselves in the temporal development of the image. In their expression, Chardin’s paintings thus encourage the viewers to come to terms with the material reality of the surrounding world. If the 18th century artist stages in his still lifes the man’s time of looking at objects, Morandi activates the distinct temporality of the image itself. Looking at the latter’s works we experience pictorial fluctuations, in connection with which objects appear like actors leaving their everyday lives behind them. In this register, they become participants in the drama taking place in the act of observation, which touches upon the foundations of their existence. In Morandi’s paintings, the viewer is prompted to reflect on the distance between one object and another; to experience the threshold between oneself and things. This article, however, is not limited to the identification of analogies and differences, but also aims to show a special relationship in which Chardin’s work stages elements of a still-life painter’s practice. From this point of view, Morandi’s reception of Chardin’s Boy Building a House of Cards is important. An analysis of the testimony of the Italian artist’s encounter with this painting during his stay in Winterthur shows that the art of the 18th century painter was for Morandi an object of a unique self-reflexive and existential identification. L1 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/114598/PDF/RHS%20XLIV%202019%205-L.Kiepuszewski.pdf L2 - http://www.journals.pan.pl/Content/114598 PY - 2019 EP - 88 DO - 10.24425/rhs.2019.131200 A1 - Kiepuszewski, Łukasz PB - Komitet Nauk o Sztuce PAN VL - No XLIV DA - 2020.03.30 T1 - Morandi and Chardin. Image as a metaphor of the creative process SP - 73 UR - http://www.journals.pan.pl/dlibra/publication/edition/114598 T2 - Rocznik Historii Sztuki ER -