Still life
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Les pommes de Ste Victoire
Paskal Hotman
Painting - 50 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
£920
Le fond de ma tasse de café (2)
Andisheh Moghtaderpour
Painting - 30 x 24 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.6 inch
£170
Etude pour assiette de pommes
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 50 x 65 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch
£348
The Beauty of a Bell Pepper
Marlene Llanes
Painting - 25.4 x 25.4 x 4.6 cm Painting - 10 x 10 x 1.8 inch
£448
Still Life with Guitar, Cup and Pears
Emil Filla
Fine Art Drawings - 34 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.4 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
£34,389
Bouteille champagne 66-22
Philippe Buil
Sculpture - 30 x 10 x 10 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 3.9 x 3.9 inch
£625
L'age de glace 16-24
Philippe Buil
Sculpture - 12 x 14 x 12 cm Sculpture - 4.7 x 5.5 x 4.7 inch
£536
The Violets' Celebration
Tanya Sviatlichnaya
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 29.5 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.6 x 0 inch
£357
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
£1,451
Donkey Kong: Nature's Revenge - NES
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
£2,235
Atari CX40: Joystick Driver Disk - 3.5" Grey
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
£2,235
Bonsai Skull vase
Patrick Bergsma
Sculpture - 40 x 35 x 30 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 13.8 x 11.8 inch
£3,082
Still life #15, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 x 1 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 x 0.4 inch
£2,054
Still life #14, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
£2,054
Still life #10, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
£2,054
Still life #11, Maroc
FLORE Photographer
Photography - 11 x 9 cm Photography - 4.3 x 3.5 inch
£2,054
Introspection 1/1
Benedicte Caillat
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
£1,251
Introspection 7
Benedicte Caillat
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
£983
Still Life Tomato and Pear
HowardArthur Tweedie
Painting - 37 x 35 x 3 cm Painting - 14.6 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch
£1,295
It Is Significant For Us To Have Met Each Other When We Did
Simon Findlay
Painting - 200 x 160 x 2 cm Painting - 78.7 x 63 x 0.8 inch
£1,965
Graminées Plumes / White Grasses
Vinciane Closset
Painting - 100 x 80 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 inch
£1,322
Heaven in a Wild Flower
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 170 x 130 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch
£4,020
Untitled de Matilisguate Series 2022
Isabel Herrera
Photography - 35.56 x 35.56 x 1 cm Photography - 14 x 14 x 0.4 inch
£849
Bunch of apples, nature morte
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 48 x 38 x 1 cm Painting - 18.9 x 15 x 0.4 inch
£402
Nature morte aux couleurs vives
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 50 x 65 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch
£438
Cuisine campagnarde
Françoise Bircher
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
£313
Aroma of spring
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
£373 £318
J’ai l’âme nomade
Magdalena Lamri
Fine Art Drawings - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch
£2,037
MS029 Still life and lamps
Mike Swaney
Painting - 21 x 29 x 0.1 cm Painting - 8.3 x 11.4 x 0 inch
£1,009
Le vin du souvenir
Ksenia Milicevic
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
£4,287
Still Life With Sunflowers
Tanya Grinevich
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
£2,144
Tender Memories
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
£268
A Touch of Tenderness
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
£268
A Tender Touch
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
£268
Still life with bird and sailboat
Ara Gasparyan
Painting - 35 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
£265
Quintet of elegance
Arayik Murdaynan
Painting - 20 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
£265
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…