Still life
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The Opposition of Transiency II
Lenny Bebeselea
Painting - 150 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$3,349
4 o'clock - limited edition of 44
Valentin Zaharia
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0 inch
$501
Still Life with coffee and macarons
Charlotte Fröling
Photography - 60 x 94 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 37 x 0.4 inch
$4,186
Still life with exotic shells and a sea urchin
Charlotte Fröling
Photography - 70 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$4,186
Pink Flowers in a White Vase
Kevin Frank
Painting - 35.56 x 27.94 x 3.81 cm Painting - 14 x 11 x 1.5 inch
$3,686
Portrait of Four Roses
Kevin Frank
Painting - 35.56 x 27.94 x 3.81 cm Painting - 14 x 11 x 1.5 inch
$4,212
Antique trophy & three books
Christopher Stott
Painting - 38.1 x 38.1 x 3.81 cm Painting - 15 x 15 x 1.5 inch
$3,366
Green clock & antique book
Christopher Stott
Painting - 38.1 x 38.1 x 3.81 cm Painting - 15 x 15 x 1.5 inch
$3,366
Conserver au frais
Marie-Noëlle Deverre
Print - 50 x 40 x 0.2 cm Print - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$502
Still life of the sea...
Jan Van den Brink
Painting - 80 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch
$2,623
Still life with stuffed
Kouta Sasai
Painting - 24.1 x 33.1 x 1 cm Painting - 9.5 x 13 x 0.4 inch
$553
Still life with a cray made doll
Kouta Sasai
Painting - 29.5 x 21 x 1 cm Painting - 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch
$435
Peonie nel vaso di famiglia
Guglielmo Meltzeid
Painting - 90 x 90 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 inch
$3,628
Bouteilles 1989 Bottles, Still life, Transparency and bottles, Nature morte transparence et bouteilles
Gilles Le Corre
Painting - 74 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 29.1 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$5,526
Still life in blue and white
Bennett Vadnais
Painting - 43.18 x 27.94 x 5.08 cm Painting - 17 x 11 x 2 inch
$3,966
Still life with green bottle
Bennett Vadnais
Painting - 38.1 x 25.4 x 5.08 cm Painting - 15 x 10 x 2 inch
$4,380
Petit Arrosoir
Aurélie Trabaud
Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6.5 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$134
Ma chambre à Etretat - ref BDNW11478
Janie Michels
Painting - 100 x 73 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 28.7 x 0.4 inch
$4,409
Le box à kava
Foucaud Stéphane
Painting - 106 x 105.5 x 4 cm Painting - 41.7 x 41.5 x 1.6 inch
$2,325
Colt 1851
Lionel le Jeune
Photography - 82.3 x 60 x 0.5 cm Photography - 32.4 x 23.6 x 0.2 inch
$837
Dieu créa l'homme à son image...
Lionel le Jeune
Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.5 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$614
Rust #4
Anthony Lanneretonne
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.4 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$553
Rust #3
Anthony Lanneretonne
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.4 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$553
Dead Flowers In A Water Jug 1
Simon Findlay
Painting - 20 x 15 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inch
$279
Is it the birth of light painting
Priyanka Chandra
Painting - 122 x 91 x 3 cm Painting - 48 x 35.8 x 1.2 inch
$6,977
Etude de fleur : Roses trémières
Eleanor Quellien
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$167
Etude de fleurs : Dalhia
Eleanor Quellien
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$167
Toile du dimanche, au soleil de midi
Eleanor Quellien
Painting - 30 x 40 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
$177
Les Maquereaux
Jean-Baptiste Sénégas
Photography - 30 x 20 x 2 cm Photography - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$3,181
Nature morte v1 (livre d'artiste)
Blandine Galtier
Print - 22 x 30 x 1 cm Print - 8.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$313
Silhouettes - 0524
Yann Gaillot
Photography - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$402
Dans la cours d'horizon
Jean-Michel Mefort
Painting - 97 x 130 x 5 cm Painting - 38.2 x 51.2 x 2 inch
$3,572
L'amical du parfait
Jean-Michel Mefort
Painting - 116 x 89 x 5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 2 inch
$3,237
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…