Ywan Cerf (1883-1963) / Still Life: Sobriety And Balance / Oil On Canvas

This oil on canvas by YWAN CERF is part of a classical tradition of still life, while exuding a modern sensibility characteristic of the artist. The composition highlights a subtle harmony between shapes and colors, where the warm tones of the fruits contrast delicately with the sobriety of the neutral elements, such as the white container and the textured background. Light plays a central role: it is soft, natural and highlights the textures – from the ripe fruits with a slightly shiny surface to the matte finish of the porcelain container. The shading brings a notable depth, accentuating the realism while maintaining an elegant and refined aesthetic. The positioning of the objects, slightly off-center, reveals a mastery of visual balances and a taste for poetic simplicity. This painting evokes both the richness of 17th-century still lifes and a contemporary modernity that translates into purity of lines and a personal touch.

46 x 38 without frame
65.5 x 54.5 with frame signed lower right

Iwan Cerf, born February 4, 1883 in Verviers, Belgium, and died May 22, 1963 in Paris, is a Belgian painter, engraver and designer. Cerf began his artistic training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège, where he was a student of Adrien de Witte and Évariste Carpentier. In 1901, he moved to Paris to continue his studies at the Académie Julian, under the direction of Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury. He participated in Parisian salons, notably the Salon de la Société nationale des beaux-arts and the Salon d'automne. In 1914, he settled permanently in Paris. During the First World War, in 1917, he enlisted as a volunteer in the artistic section. Work and style Iwan Cerf is known for his landscapes, portraits, figures and still lifes. His art, described as "sober and cerebral", combines poetry and geometric rigor in balanced compositions. His works are characterized by discreet tones, precise drawing and rigorous construction. Exhibitions and collections Cerf exhibited regularly, notably at the Cercle royal des Beaux-Arts de Liège between 1905 and 1919, and at the Salon des artistes français in 1929. He frequently stayed in the South of France, from where he brought back many landscapes. His works are preserved in institutions such as the Musée de l'Art wallon (La Boverie), the province of Liège, the Musée de la Vie wallonne and the Musée des Beaux-Arts et de Céramique de Verviers. Masonic commitment Initiated into Freemasonry in 1911, Iwan Cerf founded the Papus Lodge. He sat on the Federal Council several times and was elected Grand Orator in 1945. Iwan Cerf remains a notable figure in Belgian painting at the beginning of the 20th century, appreciated for the sobriety and intellectual depth of his work.