Still life
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Taylor Swift in Paris (Taylor Swift à Paris)
Christian Jodin
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$548
Taylor Swift's Guitar (La Guitare de Taylor Swift)
Christian Jodin
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$218
Taylor Swift's Guitar
Christian Jodin
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$218
Taylor Swift's Cellar (La Cave de Swift Taylor)
Christian Jodin
Painting - 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$330
Théatre à l'Italienne
Christian Jodin
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$442
Le box à kava
Foucaud Stéphane
Painting - 106 x 105.5 x 4 cm Painting - 41.7 x 41.5 x 1.6 inch
$2,330
Abstract flowers n°2 - Italian painting & frame
Paolo Massimo Abrans
Painting - 40 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$391
Abstract flowers n°1 - Italian painting & frame
Paolo Massimo Abrans
Painting - 47 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 18.5 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
$391
Rencontres Improbables 026 - Rapport de force
Rodolfo Franchi
Photography - 30 x 45 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$447
Rencontres Improbables 023 - Rêve de poupée
Rodolfo Franchi
Photography - 45 x 30 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 inch
$447
Rencontres Improbables 013 - Fin de soirée
Rodolfo Franchi
Photography - 45 x 30 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 inch
$447
Fruitful Elegance
Karine Harutyunyan
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$600
Nature's Richness in Red
Karine Harutyunyan
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$600
Sweet strawberries
Natalya Mougenot
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0 inch
$459
Still life with Armenian instrument
Anahit Mirijanyan
Painting - 42 x 36 x 2 cm Painting - 16.5 x 14.2 x 0.8 inch
$350
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
$11,185
MUCAV
Stefano Mazzolini
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 70 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
$559
Still life with yellow poppies and a cup of tea
Simona Tsvetkova
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$839
Big Bang sur papier 21
Joëlle Kem Lika
Painting - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$470
Big Bang sur papier 13
Joëlle Kem Lika
Painting - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$470
Pomegranate and Melodies
Anahit Mirijanyan
Painting - 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$150
Midnight poppies
Zhirayr Khachatryan
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$250
Poppies and Two Jugs
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59 x 69 x 2 cm Painting - 23.2 x 27.2 x 0.8 inch
$783
Yellow Fantasy I
Aaron Labin (Grigoryan)
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.4 inch
$558
Bouquet champestre
François d'Aubagne
Painting - 50 x 70 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.2 inch
$951
La palette fleurie du peintre
François d'Aubagne
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,063
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
The magic of the evening
Iryna Bondar
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$559
Odalisque Hommage à Matisse
Catherine Clare
Painting - 65 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,566
Heaven in a Wild Flower
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 170 x 130 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch
$5,033
Passereaux trépassés 1 : Mésange charbonnière
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$425
Calebasse striée
Françoise Danel
Painting - 114 x 146 x 3 cm Painting - 44.9 x 57.5 x 1.2 inch
$4,362
Wild flowers bouquet
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 50 x 35 x 0.3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 13.8 x 0.1 inch
$900
Scarlet breath of the autumn
Ulyana Korol
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,237
Flowers in White Pitcher
Nicole Daniah Sidonie
Painting - 36.1 x 36.1 x 0.3 cm Painting - 14.2 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$703
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
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…