Still life
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Pink roses
Andranik Harutyunyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$850 $723
Still life (objects)
Larry Snider
Photography - 30 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$337
Le Rempart de Saint Paul
Véronique Vadon
Painting - 46 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,547
Violon et Violoncelle à Paris - Série Intérieur musical
Michel de Alvis
Painting - 46 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 24 x 0.8 inch
$1,290
Nature morte aux fleurs et pot noir Série La Ville
Michel de Alvis
Painting - 61 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$1,178
Fleurs sauvages 7
Sébastien Couëffic
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$1,683
La corbeille visiteurs
Frieda Mouroum
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$673
Le retour du petit bancal
Philippe Vercellotti
Painting - 33 x 33 x 1 cm Painting - 13 x 13 x 0.4 inch
$2,244
It may be healthy
Vik Schroeder
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,346 $1,144
Rolling Stones, 1972
James Fortune
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 0.05 inch
$1,300
Ink album (Jug)
Zakhar Shevchuk
Fine Art Drawings - 28 x 20 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$337
Everything will be okay
Mihaela Ivanova
Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch
$763
Victor et le petit tome vert
Philippe Vercellotti
Painting - 34 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 13.4 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$1,795
Le secret de la pomme à trois trous
Philippe Vercellotti
Painting - 15 x 22 x 1 cm Painting - 5.9 x 8.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,346
L'apparition du 102
Philippe Vercellotti
Painting - 25 x 12 x 1 cm Painting - 9.8 x 4.7 x 0.4 inch
$1,122
Beet Soup
Christian Frederiksen
Painting - 26 x 24 x 0.1 cm Painting - 10.2 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$1,122 $954
Le Roi Des Chefs Et Le Chef Des Rois
Orest Hrytsak
Painting - 130 x 162 x 2.5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 63.8 x 1 inch
$25,804
Reflection
Cyrille Charro
Photography - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,346 $1,077
Sans titre
Benoît Mauduech
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 4 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch
$920
Laure retour de match
Bertrand De Cointet
Painting - 60 x 92 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch
$808
Flowering branches in a white mug
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 36 x 43 x 2 cm Painting - 14.2 x 16.9 x 0.8 inch
$1,797
Basket with tangerines
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,795
Coffee cup on pink tablecloth
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$898
Still life with pomegranates
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,122
Bouquet - fleurs semi-abstrait
Forg
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,402
Lolita (Book Cover)
Inga Makarova
Painting - 65 x 45 x 0.1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 17.7 x 0 inch
$3,085
Jardin Valsansibio ( Série reflets)
Ellen Geerts
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$785
Peony, Pink flower on a white background
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$561
Indifferent Objects 4
Andrea Vandoni
Painting - 50 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$1,795
Elements of Reflection 4
Andrea Vandoni
Painting - 60 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,132
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…