Still-life
Regarded as a minor genre, officially still-life was little known.
Nevertheless, it was occasionally included in
history compositions
and
portraits.
In the other categories, painters were required by
the Academy to present one admission piece, but those specialising in
still-life had to submit two. First Painter
Jean-Baptiste Pierre, who
wished to impose history painting as the supreme genre, made sure
Chardin
was never given an official position. Still-life can be divided
into two categories: the sumptuous style represented by Desportes,
Largillière and Oudry was inherited from the Baroque manner, while the
more intimate vision of
Chardin
,Roland Delaporte
and Anne Vallayer-Coster
was inspired by Dutch painting. Certain masters, such as
Oudry
, Ordinary Painter of Royal Hunts, or
Desportes, moved
imperceptibly from still-life to animal painting.