Still life
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Still Life One
Ricky Cohete
Photography - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 inch
€6,204
Three and half Pair of Chopsticks
Wang Huaiqing
Print - 75.5 x 78 x 0.02 cm Print - 29.7 x 30.7 x 0 inch
€5,000
Still Life with Apples
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 37 x 50 x 0.3 cm Painting - 14.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
€8,500
Crystal Vase with apples
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1 inch
€16,000
Magnetic Radiation 99 (Large)
Seb Janiak
Photography - 180 x 135 cm Photography - 70.9 x 53.1 inch
€7,339
Soucis, pensées et autres fleurs
Daniel Couthures
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
€700
Pivoines et pavots
Daniel Couthures
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€2,000
Rien de grave
Eugenia Jaeger
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 59 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 23.2 inch
€700
The sound of the flower
Lana Taher
Painting - 70 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,150
Six green apples
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€11,000
Eggs and Oranges With Vase
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€10,800
Oranges in a Bowl
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 27.5 x 37.5 x 1 cm Painting - 10.8 x 14.8 x 0.4 inch
€7,600
Eggs and Newspaper
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 35 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
€7,200
Cherries on the table
Zhang Wei Guang
Painting - 38.5 x 48.5 x 1 cm Painting - 15.2 x 19.1 x 0.4 inch
€11,600
The Mosaic of a Taste
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2.3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.9 inch
€5,900
"Just Persimmon..." Still life painting in hyperrealism
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2.3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.9 inch
€5,900
Banquet au Rialto
Nathalie Lemaître
Painting - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
€4,800
Lalique Vase Still Life
Wayne Ensrud
Painting - 50.8 x 61 x 5.1 cm Painting - 20 x 24 x 2 inch
€1,432
Danseuse de porcelaine
Serge Kalinowski
Painting - 116 x 89 x 5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 2 inch
€2,500
Friday morning, six o'clock III
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Friday morning, six o'clock II
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Friday morning, six o'clock I
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
€300
Ballon de rugby
Les Frères Guinet
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
€2,400
Whiskey in the Jaro
Daniel Clarke
Painting - 30.5 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 18 x 0.1 inch
€252
Feminine Electric Wires
Dzovig Arnelian
Painting - 60 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
€415
Audemars Piguet - Silver White Chrono
Vincent Sabatier
Print - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€180 €90
Still Life Series - Watermelon Peel Inserted In A Cup
Zhao De-Wei
Painting - 50 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
€3,500
Dead nature scroll #2
Andrés Rozo Samer
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
€1,174
1953 Plante et lune rouge Red moon and plant
Kam Zin Choon
Painting - 53 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting - 20.9 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
€2,950
Vase of Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers
Franco Bocchi
Print - 50 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0 inch
€150
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…