Still life
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Vanité, Inspirée du tableau de Ludger Larose
Lionel le Jeune
Photography - 45 x 60 x 0.5 cm Photography - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$1,018
La branche d'amandier
Piet ENGELMAN
Painting - 119 x 123 x 5 cm Painting - 46.9 x 48.4 x 2 inch
$4,524
Worcester Fruit
Christopher Hughes
Painting - 18 x 20.1 x 4.1 cm Painting - 7.1 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$402
Margueritte Daisies
David Mccrae
Photography - 20.3 x 25.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 8 x 10 x 0.1 inch
$250
Some Type of flowers
Kristina Malashchenko
Painting - 90 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
$3,166
Peinture orientée, PLans
Remi Delaplace
Painting - 100 x 81 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch
$2,816 $2,253
Template Reboot II
Bruno Fournier
Photography - 37 x 37 x 1 cm Photography - 14.6 x 14.6 x 0.4 inch
$2,036
Les livres de poche
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,120
Alberobello Echoes - 10
Ralouka Montesi
Photography - 45 x 30 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 inch
$763
Alberobello Echoes - 05
Ralouka Montesi
Photography - 70 x 50 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 inch
$1,069
Betrayal of the Queen
Arto Mkrtchyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$450
La poire ouverte, lithographie originale
Claude Gaveau
Print - 72 x 56 x 0.3 cm Print - 28.3 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$430
Bouquet de pensées
Albert Chavaz
Painting - 33.5 x 25.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 13.2 x 10 x 0.1 inch
Sold
Nature morte aux vases et bonbonnière
Frank Chabry
Painting - 50 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Rino Petrol Company
Stefano Bombardieri
Sculpture - 33 x 18 x 35 cm Sculpture - 13 x 7.1 x 13.8 inch
Sold
Bouquet de fleurs en carafe verte
René Guinand
Painting - 64 x 49 x 2 cm Painting - 25.2 x 19.3 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Still Life
Angelo Urbani del Fabbretto
Painting - 30.5 x 80 x 0.4 cm Painting - 12 x 31.5 x 0.2 inch
Sold
Nature morte cubique facile à ranger
Sylvain Loisant
Painting - 24 x 32 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 12.6 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Still life with fruits.
Krum Kostov
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Osaka, les oranges et les citrons
Meriame Louattani
Painting - 21 x 14.8 cm Painting - 8.3 x 5.8 inch
Sold
Pommes jaunes appelées par la grâce
Sylvain Loisant
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Adventure
Yevgeniy Repiashenko
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch
Sold
Nada mejor que con el abuelo
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 252 x 180 x 3 cm Painting - 99.2 x 70.9 x 1.2 inch
$5,372
Bouteilles 1
Marie Dominique Ferracci
Painting - 82 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 32.3 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$554
Bouteilles 2
Marie Dominique Ferracci
Painting - 82 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 32.3 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$554
Still life with fruits
Valeri Tsvetkov
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$3,166
Scarlet breath of the autumn
Ulyana Korol
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,262
The beauty of fresh roses in a vase
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Painting - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$396
Purple Crocus Elegance
Anush Emiryan
Painting - 30 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$120
Cerulean Dreams of Poppies
Arto Mkrtchyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$500
Cubist Flowers and Fruits
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 61 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$2,036
Cubist Still Life 3
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 50 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,696
Cubist Still Life
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 73 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,978
Dare To Be Blue. From the Schinkel Enfilades - Interiors Series
Celia Rogge
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,250
Jewel of the Orchard
Sergey Miqayelyan
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$250
Geranium
Gaelle Beyaert
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 18 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 7.1 x 0.8 inch
$271
Still life
Although at its heart a classic subject, the still life was the preferred approach of Cézanne, the artist who paved the way for art to enter its most modern phase. From Cubism to Hyperrealism via Pop art, sculpture, and photography, almost all art forms have been at some point shown that it is still possible to breathe new life into this age old theme.
Be it completely de-structured, funny, classic, or minimalist, the contemporary still life is far from old fashioned, despite the fact that it boasts a long, celebrated history.
Let's take a closer look at this theme that recurs so often across art history… even in antiquity, Pliny had already written about a painter called Piraikos, known for his paintings of 'provisions for cooking', and the optical illusions of Zeuxis, from which it was said that birds would try to pick off the raisins because they looked so real. The conventional still life as we know it today, however, dates back to the 17th century, where it developed in Holland under strict aesthetic codes.
Generally, oils on canvas were the preferred method for representing inanimate objects of varying types (lots of fruit, fish, game…) and flowers. The colours were muted, the background a monochromic black, the atmosphere heavy, and the light at a steep diagonal angle. There were few elements but they were precisely arranged and loaded with religious symbolism.
Even though still life was never considered a genre in its own right, almost all of the great masters have tried their hand at it at some point or other. Across the 19th century, all the art movements went through a still life phase: romanticism, impressionism, symbolism… and under the brushes of Degas, Cézanne, Monet, etc., still life evolved.
Little by little, artists added colours, erased the biblical references and replaced them with everyday objects in ever greater numbers: cooking utensils, cups of coffee, gas lamps, musical instruments…
In the 20th century, modern art once more dusted off this 'boring' subject, and began to play with its strict codes. From cubism to pop art to surrealism, all of the artistic movements made their mark on still life. Bit by bit, they took it to pieces and rebuilt it, moving ever closer to the contemporary still life, which has little to do with the original genre except for its central theme.
After his separation from Olga Khokhlova in 1936, Pablo Picasso painted 'Still Life Under a Lamp' whose plastic elements suggested themes that would later be developed in his famous 'Guernica' the following year. Pale lamplight dominates the triangular composition in the centre of the canvas and the arms of the antique sculpture appear to be on the verge of falling off the table. Although the piece altogether seems to move away from the classic still life, it maintains the traditional heavy atmosphere.
In 1956 the Catalan surrealist painter Salvador Dali painted 'Living Still Life' in his typical humorous style. The canvas – divided in two to represent night and day – shows a table on a balcony. The elements (wine, water, a pear, a knife…) are in motion, or rather levitating, as though someone has just struck the tabletop.
Artsper invites you to explore a range of contemporary still life pieces that are both traditional and surprising in our unique selection. Discover the work of Syvie Andlauer Baruch, Gonzalo Sicre, Zbigniew Wozniak, and many more…