Chardin, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon (1699-1779). French painter, one of the greatest of the 18th century, whose genre and still life subjects documented the life of the Paris bourgeoisie. He favored simple still lifes and unsentimental domestic interiors. His muted tones and ability to evoke textures are seen in Benediction and Return from Market (Louvre) and Blowing ...