Still life
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A large bouquet of roses.
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,958
Bright bouquet of flowers 2.
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,958
Rouge Ballon de Chien 21
Miguel Guía
Sculpture - 21.5 x 7 x 20 cm Sculpture - 8.5 x 2.8 x 7.9 inch
$769
Still life with birds
Ara Gasparyan
Painting - 35 x 72 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 28.3 x 0.8 inch
$900
Strao (Black powder collection)
Alessandra Bisi
Painting - 30 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$192
Tender Memories
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$339
Nature morte aux poissons
Antoine Lombardo
Painting - 33 x 41 x 2 cm Painting - 13 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch
$450
Le bouquet de l’esperance
Valérie Dragacci
Painting - 55 x 45 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,131
Cigue vieilles femmes en fleurs 6/15
Pierre Alechinsky
Print - 18 x 12 x 1 cm Print - 7.1 x 4.7 x 0.4 inch
$565
Cuisine campagnarde
Françoise Bircher
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$396
The beautiful spring flowers of my garden.
Lilya Volskaya
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$905
Love's Philosophy
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$2,940
Blue Yellow and Green Expressionism
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$1,357
Informal Painting
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 48 x 40 x 0.5 cm Painting - 18.9 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
$905
Geometric Cubism
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 68 x 68 x 0.5 cm Painting - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0.2 inch
$1,583
Retrouver les bons souvenirs
Christos Kalfas
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$1,696
Passereaux trépassés 9 : Fauvette à tête noire 4
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 8 : Merlette
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 7 : Rouge gorge
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 5 : Martinet noir
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 4 : Fauvette à tête noire 2
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 3 : Fauvette à tête noire
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Passereaux trépassés 2 : Sittelle
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$430
Ô langage des comparaisons
Cécile Jaunet
Painting - 225 x 225 x 1 cm Painting - 88.6 x 88.6 x 0.4 inch
$2,827
Tactile memory #134
Natasha Zupan
Painting - 24.1 x 19.1 x 7.6 cm Painting - 9.5 x 7.5 x 3 inch
$2,150
Hell's Angel
Robert Ieuan de Haan
Painting - 51 x 41 x 4 cm Painting - 20.1 x 16.1 x 1.6 inch
$1,583
A Touch of Tenderness
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$339
A Tender Touch
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$339
Dandeliondance
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 45 x 45 x 1 cm Photography - 17.7 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch
$452
La couleur et des mots
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,221
Senza Titolo
Emanuele Ravagnani
Painting - 100 x 150 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch
$3,393
Tender Courage I
Kajazun (Kajo) Avetisyan
Painting - 52 x 40 cm Painting - 20.5 x 15.7 inch
$373 $336
Crystal relic 003
Daniel Arsham
Sculpture - 17.7 x 13.97 x 11.43 cm Sculpture - 7 x 5.5 x 4.5 inch
$3,613
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…