Fish Market by Frans Snyders c. 1620
Frans Snyders was an extremely talented artist when it came to painting wildlife. This painting of a fish market is a wonderful example of his abilities. Here he has brought together a great amount of the wildlife that is found in the ocean, much like Brueghel does with flowers.
In this painting we see the fisherman laying out his daily catch. There is a plethora of writhing sea creatures laid out before us. This scene would never be possible though. Having this much fish out during the day, without a proper way of preserving it (such as a refrigerator) it would all spoil. Here Snyders has captured all of the creatures of the sea and laid them out for us. He has put in a great amount of detail into the depiction of the fish. Utilizing his light source and through his application of paint he creates the illusion that the fish are still wet and slimy. The steaks of tuna, hanging from the hooks, look fresh and fat. Everything in this image looks very fresh and alive, yet there is still the fact that it will all soon spoil. Just like in life, we have pleasures and there is beauty, but it is all fleeting.
Life Is Beautiful 
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