Still life
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Fruttivendola
Donna Carnahan
Photography - 91 x 122 x 4 cm Photography - 35.8 x 48 x 1.6 inch
$2,263
Coffee Red
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 11.43 x 16.51 x 0.6 cm Painting - 4.5 x 6.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,052
I'll Take a Gin
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 24.13 x 19.05 x 0.6 cm Painting - 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,098
Lollipops Yellow
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 19.05 x 24.13 x 0.6 cm Painting - 7.5 x 9.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,098
Coffee Blue
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 19.05 x 24.13 x 0.6 cm Painting - 7.5 x 9.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,098
Red Popsicle
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 31.75 x 24.13 x 0.6 cm Painting - 12.5 x 9.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,098
Fork and Spoon
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 11.43 x 15.24 x 0.6 cm Painting - 4.5 x 6 x 0.2 inch
$1,098
Dead nature scrolls #12
Andrés Rozo Samer
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$1,277
Dead nature Scrolls #1
Andrés Rozo Samer
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$1,277
The Mythology of Physics
Funing Xia
Painting - 150 x 130 x 4 cm Painting - 59.1 x 51.2 x 1.6 inch
$56,808
The Grandest of Old Men
Glynne James
Painting - 122 x 46 x 4 cm Painting - 48 x 18.1 x 1.6 inch
$2,861
Vivid Poppy Impressions
Mateos Sargsyan
Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$360
White peony on a black background
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 120 x 120 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
$3,961
Versión libre “Relojes” de Dalí
O'Farrell
Painting - 180 x 130 x 2 cm Painting - 70.9 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch
$1,584
Chess vase
Nina Urushadze
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 41 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 16.1 x 0.2 inch
$905
Jusqu'à la lie - série objets détournés
Jackie Spaeter
Painting - 90 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$566
Small White Roses
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 60 x 25 x 0.2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 9.8 x 0.1 inch
$611
Pink Rhododendron
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 40 x 40 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$611
Breakfast in the sky
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 60 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$860
Spring breakfasat
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 50 x 70 x 0.2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch
$611
Spring dandelions
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$566
Flowers in the round vase
Elena Mardashova
Painting - 40 x 40 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$792
Sans titre, velvet serie
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 59 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.2 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,358
Sans titre, Velvet serie
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 62 x 52 x 2 cm Painting - 24.4 x 20.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,415
Bouquet printanier et canaris
Jean Jacques Boimond
Painting - 59 x 66 x 1 cm Painting - 23.2 x 26 x 0.4 inch
$1,506
Bouteilles et coupe d'oranges et citron
Jean Jacques Boimond
Painting - 62.5 x 91.5 x 2 cm Painting - 24.6 x 36 x 0.8 inch
$2,054
Deux roses en vase
Louis Henri Salzmann
Painting - 46 x 33 x 0.3 cm Painting - 18.1 x 13 x 0.1 inch
$1,198
Nature morte aux pensées
Paul Mathey
Painting - 50.5 x 61.5 x 2 cm Painting - 19.9 x 24.2 x 0.8 inch
$1,825
Roses Resplendence
Andranik Harutyunyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$750
Few Strokes of Yellow
Miljan Vasiljevic
Painting - 15.2 x 24.1 x 5.1 cm Painting - 6 x 9.5 x 2 inch
$550
Sans titre
Serge Plagnol
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$566
Sans titre
Serge Plagnol
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$566
Sans titre
Serge Plagnol
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$566
Nature morte
Serge Plagnol
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$566
Colorful abstract flowers
Leon Devenice
Painting - 101.6 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 40 x 48 x 1 inch
$2,400
Still life with flowers
Simona Tsvetkova
Painting - 40 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,415
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…