Still life
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How do you Think I Feel?
Joanna Glazer
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$551
To Step onto the New World
Joanna Glazer
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$551
To Step onto the New World
Joanna Glazer
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$551
Home at night, contemplating
Le Hai Linh
Painting - 56 x 76 x 1 cm Painting - 22 x 29.9 x 0.4 inch
$2,641
The Blue Vase
Anna Krtshatsyan
Painting - 24 x 29 x 0.5 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.4 x 0.2 inch
$393 $354
Les flèches de propulseur
Marie Serruya
Photography - 116 x 200 x 2 cm Photography - 45.7 x 78.7 x 0.8 inch
$8,428 $7,163
T. Bone Walker, New York, 1965 (Appollo Theater Harlem)
Hervé Gloaguen
Photography - 40 x 50 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 inch
$2,023
Bisous, marguerites, supercheris
Marion Charlet
Painting - 162 x 130 x 4 cm Painting - 63.8 x 51.2 x 1.6 inch
$11,799
Room interior with a chair and lamp
Schagen Vita
Painting - 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,798
Vase of Wild poppies
Arto Mkrtchyan
Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$450
Le vieux pot de peinture vert - 375
Yannick Bouillault
Sculpture - 32 x 22 x 15 cm Sculpture - 12.6 x 8.7 x 5.9 inch
$494
Tulips on a Yellow Table
Arman Hayrapetyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,400
Pomegranate Perfection
Stepan Ohanyan
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$200
Psychedelic flower
Damien Berrard
Painting - 116 x 81 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 31.9 x 1 inch
$1,011
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Fifth Floor, South
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 50.8 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 inch
$2,300
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 622
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 67.6 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 26.6 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$3,200
The golden apple
Marie Serruya
Sculpture - 15 x 12 x 10 cm Sculpture - 5.9 x 4.7 x 3.9 inch
$1,101 $991
The Morning Flowers
Ramaz Chantladze
Painting - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$5,618
Still life with fruits
Valeri Tsvetkov
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$3,146
Croûtasse sur Mer
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 97 x 130 x 2 cm Painting - 38.2 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch
$2,809
Scarlet breath of the autumn
Ulyana Korol
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,247
Summer's light bouquet
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 30.5 x 23 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12 x 9.1 x 0 inch
$281
Fusion of red roses
Natalya Mougenot
Painting - 30.5 x 23 x 0.1 cm Painting - 12 x 9.1 x 0 inch
$281
Three Pears in Harmony
Stepan Ohanyan
Painting - 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$250
Oceani Mentali n°4
Luca Izzo
Photography - 50 x 70 x 0.4 cm Photography - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.2 inch
$393
Gordon's dry gin
Gopal Dagnogo
Painting - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Painting - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$12,360
Tulips in february
Roxana Khonkulova
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$787
Cubist Flowers and Fruits
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 61 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$2,023
Cubist Still Life 3
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 50 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,686
Cubist Still Life
Juan Jose Abella
Painting - 73 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
$1,965
Embossed textured orange flowers on a blue backgraund. Still life abstraction
Lilya Volskaya
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$506
Morning Rose Symphony
Hrach Baghdasaryan
Painting - 30 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$199
Moroccan Pop Art
Annaelle Myriam Chaib
Painting - 46 x 36 x 5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 14.2 x 2 inch
$899
Big Bang sur papier 16
Joëlle Kem Lika
Painting - 50 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$472
Still life with cherries
Simona Tsvetkova
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$989
Tea time, Sweet Home series
Olha Vlasova
Painting - 49.5 x 29.5 x 2 cm Painting - 19.5 x 11.6 x 0.8 inch
$506
XXX Begonia
Zornitsa Gramkova
Photography - 30 x 26 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 10.2 x 0 inch
$112
XXVIII Sempervivum
Zornitsa Gramkova
Photography - 30 x 22 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 8.7 x 0 inch
$112
XXVII Lilium
Zornitsa Gramkova
Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0 inch
$112
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…