Still life
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Golden Pomegranate Harvest
Vlas Ayvazyan
Painting - 40 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$600
Bouquet of wild flowers
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 75 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 29.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,600
Le gobelet d'argent
Françoise Danel
Painting - 116 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
$3,865
Bouquet of Chamomiles
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,600
L'Atelier prismatique
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,921
Les livres de poche
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,125
The Beauty of Yellow Roses
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$999
Caillou au trait rouge
Françoise Danel
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$512
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 23
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 50.8 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 inch
$2,300
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Fourth Floor, South
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 67.6 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 26.6 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$3,200
Pomegranate delight-texture fruit painting, red and green colors
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 35 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$860 $774
At the Underground Pub
Dondi Schwartz
Painting - 42 x 86 x 3 cm Painting - 16.5 x 33.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,250
Bouquet aux tournesols
Pierrick Tual
Painting - 61 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$1,705
Mi escondite de verano
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 140 x 140 x 4 cm Painting - 55.1 x 55.1 x 1.6 inch
$3,524
El pastor ceno pescao
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 140 x 140 x 4 cm Painting - 55.1 x 55.1 x 1.6 inch
$3,524
Vase of flowers #4
Rachael Dalzell
Painting - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,268
Bright red flowers blooming
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 30.5 x 23 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12 x 9.1 x 0 inch
$477
Hibiscus blooming in a vase
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 30.5 x 23 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12 x 9.1 x 0 inch
$477
Lush Lilac Elegance
Vlas Ayvazyan
Painting - 50 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$700 $595
Les ombres du savoir
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$3,399
Still life with fruits
Valeri Tsvetkov
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$3,183
Cage / Sans titre
Meteo Meteo
Painting - 21 x 29.7 x 0.2 cm Painting - 8.3 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch
$131 $66
Natura morta
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 44.5 x 34.5 x 1 cm Painting - 17.5 x 13.6 x 0.4 inch
$443
Room interior with a chair and lamp
Schagen Vita
Painting - 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,819
Bouquet Beautiful
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59.5 x 69.5 x 1.8 cm Painting - 23.4 x 27.4 x 0.7 inch
$796
Yellow Rose.
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59 x 69 x 1.8 cm Painting - 23.2 x 27.2 x 0.7 inch
$796
Cage / Sans titre
Meteo Meteo
Painting - 84.1 x 59.4 x 0.1 cm Painting - 33.1 x 23.4 x 0 inch
$739 $369
You are the heart of my rose
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 41 x 33 x 1.7 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 0.7 inch
$512
Sweet summer red cherries from the garden
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 41 x 33 x 1.7 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 0.7 inch
$512
Lace Your Boots
Sébastien Boismoreau (BEUS)
Fine Art Drawings - 125 x 99 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 49.2 x 39 x 0 inch
$11,368
Paysage au chaudron
Françoise Danel
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$3,979
Transparence grise
Françoise Danel
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$3,979
Vase of flowers #5
Rachael Dalzell
Painting - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,268
Vase of flowers #3
Rachael Dalzell
Painting - 75 x 55 x 1 cm Painting - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,268
Introspection 6
Benedicte Caillat
Painting - 34 x 25 x 1.5 cm Painting - 13.4 x 9.8 x 0.6 inch
$1,364
Eastern still-life
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$3,400
Looking for the Spring
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$2,500
Nature Morte Vivante Avec Poire Raisons et Citron
Robert Combas
Painting - 45 x 58 cm Painting - 17.7 x 22.8 inch
$37,513
Lemon yelow and violet
Luis Miguel Aparisi
Painting - 81.3 x 100.1 x 3 cm Painting - 32 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$2,260
Poppies and Two Jugs
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59 x 69 x 2 cm Painting - 23.2 x 27.2 x 0.8 inch
$796
Couleur Majorelle III
Agnès Tiollier
Fine Art Drawings - 69 x 49 x 0.15 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.1 inch
$1,023
Bottles (Candle Holders)
Andrii Davydenko
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,250
Dîner sur Saint Sylvestre
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 130 x 162 x 4 cm Painting - 51.2 x 63.8 x 1.6 inch
$3,638
La poire ouverte, lithographie originale
Claude Gaveau
Print - 72 x 56 x 0.3 cm Print - 28.3 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$432
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…