Still life
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Still life
Reynold Arnould
Fine Art Drawings - 11.5 x 16 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 4.5 x 6.3 x 0.1 inch
$339
Metallic thinner
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 10 x 21 x 21 cm Sculpture - 3.9 x 8.3 x 8.3 inch
$362
Colorant alimentaire
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 39 x 26 x 23 cm Sculpture - 15.4 x 10.2 x 9.1 inch
$532
Quo vadis, homine II
Eleonora Drumeva
Painting - 113 x 95 x 2 cm Painting - 44.5 x 37.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,716
The Hall of Lost Steps ll
Izabela Apananska
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,829
Everyday growth
Susanne Butcher
Painting - 100 x 180 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 70.9 x 0.4 inch
$4,753
Bouquet de Fleurs et Poires
Claude Gaveau
Print - 55.6 x 73.5 x 0.2 cm Print - 21.9 x 28.9 x 0.1 inch
$509
Pomegranates with a jug
Albert Kechyan
Painting - 45 x 59.9 x 0.8 cm Painting - 17.7 x 23.6 x 0.3 inch
$6,227
The Stone and the blue sea
Åsa Elisa Dahlbeck
Painting - 108 x 132 cm Painting - 42.5 x 52 inch
$4,074
Floating light over the bay
Åsa Elisa Dahlbeck
Painting - 108 x 139 cm Painting - 42.5 x 54.7 inch
$4,074
Roses
Bonaventura Aumatell Tarradellas
Painting - 27 x 41 x 2 cm Painting - 10.6 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch
$2,829
Flaming 13
Juan Pablo Castro
Photography - 91.4 x 61 x 0.3 cm Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.1 inch
$3,000
The Broken Chain
Juan Pablo Castro
Photography - 61 x 91.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 24 x 36 x 0.1 inch
$3,000
San Francisco Shoes (Mounted on wood pegboard)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 120.9 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 47.6 x 48 x 1 inch
$3,500
Heure absente
Maryse-Anne Couteau
Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 29 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 11.4 x 0.4 inch
$4,527
L'enfant à la coque
Maryse-Anne Couteau
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$2,829
Les Fleurs Du Yacht-Club De Nikolayevski
Alina Khrapchynska
Painting - 80 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,512
La Dame En Fer
Alina Khrapchynska
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$3,361
The Chess Game Of Summer
Delyafruz Bagirova
Print - 90 x 88 x 0.1 cm Print - 35.4 x 34.6 x 0 inch
$475
Lágrima de Nube
James Bonachea
Fine Art Drawings - 99.8 x 69.9 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.3 x 27.5 x 0.1 inch
$3,000
Still life evening
Nadya Stancheva
Painting - 75 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 29.5 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$3,508
Still life with quince
Tamar Nazaryan
Painting - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$480
Untitled #8. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #7. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Nature morte aux vases
Claude Vénard
Painting - 38 x 48 x 2.5 cm Painting - 15 x 18.9 x 1 inch
$16,974
Untitled #3. From the series There is an ocean in my glass II
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
A Little Pomegranate Still Life
Delyafruz Bagirova
Painting - 20 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$475
Untitled #6. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 152.4 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #5. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #4. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #3. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #2. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Untitled #1. From the series There is an ocean in my glass
Ying Chen
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$4,000
Pecio IV
Felisa Esteban - Maifx
Painting - 100 x 130 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 51.2 x 0.4 inch
$2,376
La ville, Les maisons, Les Visages (7)
Morten Schelde
Print - 28 x 21.5 cm Print - 11 x 8.5 inch
$170
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…