Max Carlier was born in 1872 in Tourcoing, a small town in northern France which is close to the Belgian border. Although not much is known about the life of Carlier, he is considered to be one of the great still life masters of florals and fruits. Occasionally he was also known to paint interior views and some genre type scenes. Carlier spent the majority of his lifetime living and working in and around Brussels, although he was also known to have traveled extensively, especially to Italy. For a short period of time Carlier lived in Brittany.
In Still Life with Flowers and Fruit Carlier works in the Neo-Dutch manner of still life painting that was similar to the style of painting of such 18th Century artists as Gérard van Spaendonck, Jan van Huysum and Rachel Roysch. Here Carlier works with a warm palette to depict an overflowing earthen jug of delicious fruits that have tumbled onto the dirt floor as well as a freshly picked bunch of pink and red roses that lay across a wooden stool as though casually dropped not far from the actual bushes which recently sported their blooms. The composition is opulent, but Carlier has managed to approach its layout with the unerring and analytical approach of a master still life painter who is able to produce not only a corpulent bounty, but one that is refined and abundant in its detail and superbly crafted with a penultimate executed finish. This unparalleled painting is one of the largest and finest examples of Carlier’s works that we have had the pleasure to see.
