Still life
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Celestial Wing
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 53 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 20.9 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$441
Feather Off Red
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 28 x 43 x 1 cm Photography - 11 x 16.9 x 0.4 inch
$362
Green (men)
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 27.9 x 35.6 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 14 x 0.1 inch
$550
Hica Sole
Matthew Rose
Fine Art Drawings - 39 x 29 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.4 x 11.4 x 1.6 inch
$1,131
Les caprices pinces princiers
Salvador Dali
Print - 55.9 x 73.7 x 0.5 cm Print - 22 x 29 x 0.2 inch
$2,500
Life in Plastic IV
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1 inch
$1,244
Suffocated self portrait
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 150 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting - 59.1 x 35.4 x 1 inch
$1,923
Suffocated Still Life I
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 100 x 110 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 43.3 x 1 inch
$1,018
Suffocated Still Life III
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 120 x 100 x 0.2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch
$565
Life in Plastic V
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 100 x 110 x 0.2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 43.3 x 0.1 inch
$565
Flordali - Les Fruits : Poire Don Quichotte
Salvador Dali
Print - 56.5 x 37 cm Print - 22.2 x 14.6 inch
$5,089
Ma nature morte vivante
David Ferreira
Painting - 120 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,619
Trilogie - Huitres et coquillages de mer
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,545
The lamp of love I
Mitko Zhelezarov
Painting - 60 x 140 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 55.1 x 0.8 inch
$1,470
Le Majestueux - série poisson
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$3,110
Soleil blanc à Cannes
Claude Schürr
Painting - 61 x 50 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 1 inch
$4,750
3D pink peony
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,696 $1,357
Saison heureuse
Ellis Zbinden
Painting - 46.5 x 66 x 0.1 cm Painting - 18.3 x 26 x 0 inch
$8,142 $4,885
Attraverso lo specchio
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 35 x 35 x 0.6 cm Painting - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch
$588
Arcane XIV- La Tempérance
Richard Laillier
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 20 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
$1,131
Lichtreflex Rotation
Hein Gravenhorst
Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch
$1,696
Duet in crimson
Zhirayr Khachatryan
Painting - 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$340
Al chiar di luna
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 65 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,029
Tincture of Myrrh, Stockton-on-Tees
Richard Heeps
Photography - 61 x 61 x 1 cm Photography - 24 x 24 x 0.4 inch
$1,131
Brigitte Bardot
Robert van Bolderick
Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$1,018
LE PONT DE TERENEZ
Véronique Bourgeois-Noury
Painting - 162 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 63.8 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
$4,524
Hollyhocks Sketch
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Ruby Lily Sketch
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Painting - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Red Freesia 02
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Red Freesia 01
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Yellow Freesia 02
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Yellow Freesia 01
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$396
Reflections – Untitled VI
David Paul Kay
Sculpture - 38.1 x 22.8 x 22.8 cm Sculpture - 15 x 9 x 9 inch
$3,393
Jon Gould photographed by Andy Warhol. From The Love of Andy series
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 22.9 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9 x 12 x 0.1 inch
$900
Jorge's kitchen
Barry Cawston
Photography - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,110
Nature morte - série Abstraction
Anne Scandella
Painting - 62 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 24.4 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$570
A Touch of a Feather
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 30 x 22 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inch
$396
Hope has Wings
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 30 x 22 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 8.7 x 0.4 inch
$396
Hommage à Matisse
Christian Jodin
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,250
Le monde de l’art n’est pas le monde du pardon
Zao Wou-Ki
Print - 34 x 26 x 1 cm Print - 13.4 x 10.2 x 0.4 inch
$7,012
Fleurs et pommes
Charlotte Abecassis
Painting - 56 x 42 x 3 cm Painting - 22 x 16.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,131
Lampe butternut
Jean Valera
Photography - 75 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,357
Field flowers and pomegranate
Tigran Avetyan
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,050
Ukrainian still life
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 89.9 x 80 x 2.5 cm Painting - 35.4 x 31.5 x 1 inch
$2,450
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…