Still life
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Eric Khellas
Painting - 73 x 60 x 5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 2 inch
£464
Fleurs blanches et pinceaux
Jean Jacques Boimond
Painting - 55.5 x 38.5 x 2 cm Painting - 21.9 x 15.2 x 0.8 inch
£512
Cebolla y bandeja. From the "Bodegones" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Hongos con cuerdas II. From "Bodegon" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Moras y arándanos. From "Bodegon" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Hongos con cuerdas. From "Bodegon" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Cebollas con nueces. From "Bodegon" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Tomates con Limones. From Bodegon series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Mandarinas. From "Bodegon" series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Hongos y canasta
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Coliflores y brócoli
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Manzanas From "Bodegon" Series
Dora Franco
Photography - 48 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 18.9 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Mandarinas con libro. From Bodegon Series
Dora Franco
Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Alcachofas y ajos. From Bodegon Series
Dora Franco
Photography - 55 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 21.7 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
£1,451
Chinese Interior #2
Robert van der Hilst
Photography - 49 x 42 cm Photography - 19.3 x 16.5 inch
£1,608
Chinese Interior #11
Robert van der Hilst
Photography - 42 x 49 cm Photography - 16.5 x 19.3 inch
£1,608
Chinese Interior #16
Robert van der Hilst
Photography - 42 x 49 cm Photography - 16.5 x 19.3 inch
£1,608
Chinese Interior #19
Robert van der Hilst
Photography - 42 x 49 cm Photography - 16.5 x 19.3 inch
£1,608
Autumn's Cloak
David Bush
Fine Art Drawings - 66 x 96.5 x 7.6 cm Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 38 x 3 inch
£1,078
Nature morte au vase de roses et jeu de cartes
Henri Fehr
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
£759
Photo 111103.5
Gottfried Jäger
Photography - 70 x 70 x 3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
£6,253
Still life with apricots and duduk
Tamar Nazaryan
Painting - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£498
Still life with pomegrantes and dove
Tamar Nazaryan
Painting - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£498
Wild flower bouquet
Gordon Hopkins
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.4 inch
£4,020
Still life with Armenian Brandy
Tamar Nazaryan
Painting - 40 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
£498
Strictly viewed, everyone is here
Galia Chuntova
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
£795
Chalkboard Diaries
Hilary Tait Norod
Painting - 91.4 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm Painting - 36 x 48 x 2 inch
£1,825
Still life with Lemon
Michael Gorban
Painting - 32 x 20 x 3 cm Painting - 12.6 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch
£911
Diogenes in a search for an honest man
Vladimir Kolosov
Painting - 30.5 x 38.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 15.25 x 0.1 inch
£481
One Day of Happiness
Juliya Povkh
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1 inch
£1,251
The Grandest of Old Men
Glynne James
Painting - 122 x 46 x 4 cm Painting - 48 x 18.1 x 1.6 inch
£2,150
Matisse's Venetian Chair
Richard Dunkley
Photography - 40.6 x 58.4 cm Photography - 16 x 23 inch
£700
Nature morte à la pipe 2
Georges Darel
Painting - 44 x 24.5 x 0.5 cm Painting - 17.3 x 9.6 x 0.2 inch
£531
Nature morte à la pipe
Georges Darel
Painting - 44.5 x 25 x 0.5 cm Painting - 17.5 x 9.8 x 0.2 inch
£531
Table fleurie et vue sur jardin
Georges Darel
Painting - 54 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 21.3 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
£595
Ear Cast
Lyubena Fox
Fine Art Drawings - 45 x 35 x 2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.7 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
£715
Amore infinito
Antonella Laganà
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
£7,146 £6,074
Absolument
Antonella Laganà
Painting - 150 x 200 x 2 cm Painting - 59.1 x 78.7 x 0.8 inch
£17,864 £15,185
Abstract flowers
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
£373
Still Life With Flowers
Dondi Schwartz
Painting - 70 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 27.6 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
£625
At The Flea Market Old Jafa
Dondi Schwartz
Painting - 35 x 35 x 3 cm Painting - 13.8 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch
£536
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…