Still life
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Plate with fresh fruits
Guido Guidi
Painting - 35 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
£371
Plate with fresh fruits - Italian old painting
Guido Guidi
Painting - 35 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
£223
Li Lihong's Apple China grand format - Or - Edition Loft
Li Lihong
Sculpture - 28 x 28 x 28 cm Sculpture - 11 x 11 x 11 inch
£2,233
Chinchard sur assiette et une poire
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 46 x 46 x 1 cm Painting - 18.1 x 18.1 x 0.4 inch
£402
Chinchards sur assiette
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
£393
Purple flowers
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
£829 £705
Life in Plastic II
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
£804
L’esprit du feu.
Bengt Lindström
Sculpture - 66.5 x 42 x 9 cm Sculpture - 26.2 x 16.5 x 3.5 inch
£5,895
Variations sur la Knautia collina Jord.
Sophie Zénon
Photography - 60 x 150 x 3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch
£13,398
Gentiana lutea L.
Sophie Zénon
Photography - 137 x 97 x 3 cm Photography - 53.9 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch
£12,505
4 tassetes verd-vermell
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 20 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0 inch
£112
Botella de vi amb rajoles blaves
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 20 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0 inch
£112
Estris cuina verds sobre groc-ocre
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 20 x 20 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0 inch
£112
Cuina verd-groc-siena
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 30 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
£165
Cuina verda amb taula i cadires vermelles
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 30 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
£165
Joséphine Hopper
Pauline Corto
Photography - 57 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 22.4 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
£429
Through the Pale Twilit Meadows
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 120 x 140 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 55.1 x 1.2 inch
£3,305
Among the Flowers Face to face with the sky
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 125 x 140 x 3 cm Painting - 49.2 x 55.1 x 1.2 inch
£3,305
Joc de pinzells
Ferran Cartes Yerro
Sculpture - 27 x 27 x 6 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.6 x 2.4 inch
£313
Concert per a flautes i petxines
Ferran Cartes Yerro
Sculpture - 27 x 27 x 6 cm Sculpture - 10.6 x 10.6 x 2.4 inch
£313
HEtresEnCompagnie #08
Corinne Bresson
Photography - 50 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
£268
A large bouquet of roses.
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
£3,126
Bright bouquet of flowers 2.
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
£3,126
Période 11, 8ème jour
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 22 x 30 x 23 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 11.8 x 9.1 inch
£402
My version of Van Gogh‘s "Twelve Sunflowers“
Annabell Mozer
Painting - 70 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
£5,583
Autumn still life
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£1,786
Sunflowers in a blue vase
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 60 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
£1,072
Flower round dance 1
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£768
Still- life with lilac
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
£1,786
Series on grey background. Poetry.
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
£1,786
Flower round dance 2
Nadezda Stupina
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£768
Ô langage des comparaisons
Cécile Jaunet
Painting - 225 x 225 x 1 cm Painting - 88.6 x 88.6 x 0.4 inch
£2,233
Piaf Noir à picots argent
Valerie Marty
Sculpture - 17 x 12 x 12 cm Sculpture - 6.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inch
£357
Rouge Ballon de Chien 21
Miguel Guía
Sculpture - 21.5 x 7 x 20 cm Sculpture - 8.5 x 2.8 x 7.9 inch
£607
Still life with birds
Ara Gasparyan
Painting - 35 x 72 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 28.3 x 0.8 inch
£746 £634
Strao (Black powder collection)
Alessandra Bisi
Painting - 30 x 20 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch
£152
Cigue vieilles femmes en fleurs 6/15
Pierre Alechinsky
Print - 18 x 12 x 1 cm Print - 7.1 x 4.7 x 0.4 inch
£447
Blue Yellow and Green Expressionism
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 65 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
£1,072
Informal Painting
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 48 x 40 x 0.5 cm Painting - 18.9 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
£715
Geometric Cubism
Giorgio Lo Fermo
Painting - 68 x 68 x 0.5 cm Painting - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0.2 inch
£1,251
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…