Still life
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Lemons and flowers
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$449
Bouteilles et orange
Nadine de Lespinats
Painting - 50 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$832
Cage / Sans titre
Meteo Meteo
Painting - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$129 $65
Les pommes de Ste Victoire
Paskal Hotman
Painting - 50 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,157
Le vieux pot de peinture bleu - 354
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 13 x 23 x 15 cm Sculpture - 5.1 x 9.1 x 5.9 inch
$405
Les fleurs pour une inconnue
Volodymyr Kolesnyk
Painting - 100 x 85 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 33.5 x 1 inch
$6,068
Le fond de ma tasse de café (2)
Andisheh Moghtaderpour
Painting - 30 x 24 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.6 inch
$213
Pulling Out
James Rosenquist
Print - 64.8 x 76.8 x 0.2 cm Print - 25.5 x 30.2 x 0.1 inch
$2,697 $2,427
The Beauty of a Bell Pepper
Marlene Llanes
Painting - 25.4 x 25.4 x 4.6 cm Painting - 10 x 10 x 1.8 inch
$540
Series “Between Heaven and Earth” - turquoise blue
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 150 x 200 x 4 cm Painting - 59.1 x 78.7 x 1.6 inch
$11,237
Oriental tale, Painting, Oil on canvas
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 79.8 x 59.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.4 x 23.6 x 1 inch
$1,750
The Violets' Celebration
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
$449
Radial bleu
Jean François Humbert
Photography - 78 x 60 x 0.15 cm Photography - 30.7 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch
$1,966
Introspection 1/1
Benedicte Caillat
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
$1,573
Introspection 7
Benedicte Caillat
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
$1,236
Bonsai Skull vase
Patrick Bergsma
Sculpture - 40 x 35 x 30 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 13.8 x 11.8 inch
$3,877
Still life #15, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 x 1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.4 inch
$2,584
Still life #14, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
$2,584
Still life #10, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
$2,584
Still life #11, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
$2,584
Stealing Beauty
Taratina Svetlana
Painting - 40 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$1,180
Still Life Tomato and Pear
HowardArthur Tweedie
Painting - 37 x 35 x 3 cm Painting - 14.6 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch
$1,629
Graminées Plumes / White Grasses
Vinciane Closset
Painting - 100 x 80 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 inch
$1,663
Cage / Sans titre
Meteo Meteo
Painting - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$129 $65
Heaven in a Wild Flower
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 170 x 130 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch
$5,057
Bouteille champagne 66-22
Philippe Buil
Sculpture - 30 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch
$787
L'age de glace 16-24
Philippe Buil
Sculpture - 12 x 14 x 12 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 5.5 x 4.7 inch
$674
It Is Significant For Us To Have Met Each Other When We Did
Simon Findlay
Painting - 200 x 160 x 2 cm Painting - 78.7 x 63 x 0.8 inch
$2,472
Untitled de Matilisguate Series 2022
Isabel Herrera
Photography - 35.56 x 35.56 x 1 cm Photography - 14 x 14 x 0.4 inch
$1,067
Donkey Kong: Nature's Revenge - NES
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
$2,695
Atari CX40: Joystick Driver Disk - 3.5" Grey
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
$2,695
Aroma of spring
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$450
Crimson Poppy Delight
Narek Qochunc
Painting - 20 x 15 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inch
$99 $85
J’ai l’âme nomade
Magdalena Lamri
Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$2,562
MS029 Still life and lamps
Mike Swaney
Painting - 21 x 29 x 0.1 cm Painting - 8.3 x 11.4 x 0 inch
$1,270
Heart over head
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,236
Le vin du souvenir
Ksenia Milicevic
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$5,394
Still Life With Sunflowers
Tanya Grinevich
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,697
Warhol Paint Brushes (4)
Tyler Shields
Photography - 177.8 x 177.8 cm Photography - 70 x 70 inch
$50,000
Warhol Paint Brushes (2)
Tyler Shields
Photography - 114.3 x 114.3 cm Photography - 45 x 45 inch
$10,000
Paradis artificiel
Alexandre Monteiro (Hopare)
Painting - 33 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 13 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$7,866
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
$427
Passereaux trépassés 8 : Merlette
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$427
Passereaux trépassés 7 : Rouge gorge
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$427
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…