Still life
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Field flowers with red background
Hayk Miqayelyan
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
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Féminité n°3
Jocelyne Deschamps-Kus
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
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Féminité n°2
Jocelyne Deschamps-Kus
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
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Objeto de Deseo
Enrique Toledo Gonzalez
Painting - 117 x 127 x 1 cm Painting - 46.1 x 50 x 0.4 inch
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Pomegranates - Italian painting
Riccardo Chirici
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
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Nature morte au bouquet de fleurs dans un vase en cuivre
Therese Guerin
Painting - 95 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 37.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
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Red Cotisso, Granite, Choklo, Murano Beads, Condor Feather, Adobe in Arin
Lorenzo Vitturi
Photography - 110 x 73 x 0.03 cm Photography - 43.3 x 28.7 x 0 inch
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Still life with fruits and wine - Italian old painting
Gino Guidi
Painting - 50 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
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Premier Noël de l'ours polaire
Jocelyne Deschamps-Kus
Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch
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Fresh flowers - Italian old painting
Gino Guidi
Painting - 70 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
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Stilleben où tout veut flotte
Kurt Mair
Painting - 120 x 70 x 7 cm Painting - 47.2 x 27.6 x 2.8 inch
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Pink Rose
Anyck Alvarez Kerloch
Painting - 24.9 x 19.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 9.8 x 7.8 x 0.1 inch
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Vive les fleurs & cocktail
Seb Paul Michel
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
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La bibliothèque de Barneuil
Sylvie K. Paulic
Painting - 60 x 20 x 1.8 cm Painting - 23.6 x 7.9 x 0.7 inch
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Fruit salad
Leona Rose
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
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Pommes, chardons et bruyères
Gérard Desgranges
Painting - 50 x 61 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 1.6 inch
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Pink Peonies and Blue Vase
Karen Daigle
Painting - 27.9 x 35.6 x 2 cm Painting - 11 x 14 x 0.8 inch
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An Hour After Sundown
Maurice Sapiro
Painting - 40.6 x 50.8 x 5.1 cm Painting - 16 x 20 x 2 inch
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Code-barres
The Catman
Fine Art Drawings - 100 x 70 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 39.4 x 27.6 x 0 inch
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The Begonia at the Corner of My Room
Yusuf Epcin
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
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Bouteilles #2
Odin Pigelet
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.4 x 0 inch
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Bouquet poissons
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
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Still life with a hole on the wall
Kouta Sasai
Painting - 24.1 x 33.2 x 1 cm Painting - 9.5 x 13.1 x 0.4 inch
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Roses. Delicate bouquet.
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
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Books i read this summer
Trayko Popov
Painting - 75 x 55 x 0.5 cm Painting - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.2 inch
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La chambre à Vincent
Pierre François
Painting - 50 x 65 x 0.2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.1 inch
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Le chat rouge - Digital Art digigraphie
Angélo Pierlo
Print - 40 x 30 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
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Le chat rouge - Reproduction digigraphie
Angélo Pierlo
Print - 30 x 40 cm Print - 11.8 x 15.7 inch
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Carreaux bleu - Digital Art digigraphie
Piment Martin
Print - 40 x 30 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
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Elle rougit - Digital Art digigraphie
Piment Martin
Print - 40 x 30 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
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La Provence - Digital Art digigraphie
Piment Martin
Print - 40 x 30 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
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Le vieux pot de peinture rouge - 329
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 23 x 19 x 21 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 7.5 x 8.3 inch
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Le liquide blanc 2
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 40 x 23 x 19 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 9.1 x 7.5 inch
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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…