Still life
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Femmes africaines 8557
Michel Rauscher
Painting - 40 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,244
Cage / Sans titre
Meteo Meteo
Painting - 29.7 x 21 x 0.2 cm Painting - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$130 $66
Still life with milk and lemon
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 30 x 24 x 1.8 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.7 inch
$1,357
Rose hips and cherries
Ivan Russev
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,809
Allégorie de la création à la grenade
Iconographia
Photography - 59.4 x 42 cm Photography - 23.4 x 16.5 inch
$339
Marine Soleil Couchant
Jacques Gorde
Painting - 90 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch
$3,958
La Maison Rouge
Caroline de Piédoüe
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$1,696
Iris flowers, Ritter-Schwertlilie
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$792
Black strips, white strips
Kseniia Redina
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1.2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.5 inch
$1,357
Cruche, Raisin aux 3 Mangues
Caroline de Piédoüe
Painting - 41 x 33 x 3 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 1.2 inch
$1,244
Cruche, Raisin & Mangue
Caroline de Piédoüe
Painting - 41 x 33 x 3 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 1.2 inch
$1,244
Cruche, Raisin & Mangue
Caroline de Piédoüe
Painting - 46 x 33 x 3 cm Painting - 18.1 x 13 x 1.2 inch
$1,244
Message d'amour
Ludivine Corominas
Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,470
Nature morte aux iris et aux tulipes, détail
Iconographia
Photography - 60 x 40 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 inch
$339
Papier fleuri (Tondo)
Laurelle Bessé
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$792
On the Kitchen Table §13
Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova
Photography - 30 x 45 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$1,357
On the Kitchen Table §19
Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova
Photography - 30 x 45 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$1,357
On the Kitchen Table 20
Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova
Photography - 30 x 45 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$1,357
On the Kitchen Table 17
Nadezhda Oleg Lyahova
Photography - 30 x 45 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 inch
$1,357
N48°52'17.23 E02°51'51.75
L'Atlas
Painting - 150 x 200 x 3 cm Painting - 59.1 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch
$14,136
The Peonies Near The Night Window - peonies still life painting
Nikolay Dmitriev
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,357
Vigorous flowering
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$2,200
Glazed terracotta jars with spoon
Karina Lara
Fine Art Drawings - 34 x 42.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.4 x 16.7 inch
$961
Tout le temps
Philippe Huart
Fine Art Drawings - 40 x 30 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch
$1,696
The moment when the goal was made the way (Der Moment indem das Ziel zum Weg gemacht wurde)
Paul Verstraten
Painting - 110 x 160 x 2 cm Painting - 43.3 x 63 x 0.8 inch
$2,149
Still Life with Flowers - Orange Bkgrd (After)
Bernard Buffet
Print - 27.3 x 21 x 0.6 cm Print - 10.75 x 8.25 x 0.25 inch
$495
La Plume
Olivier Attar (Attoli)
Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$769
Atelier de porcelaine III
Feng Hatat
Photography - 60 x 9 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 3.5 x 0.8 inch
$452
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…