Still life
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At the End of the Day
Natia Sapanadze
Painting - 44 x 33 x 2 cm Painting - 17.3 x 13 x 0.8 inch
$2,149
Still life in red
Marc Jesús-Vives
Painting - 89 x 116 x 0.3 cm Painting - 35 x 45.7 x 0.1 inch
$2,487
Marine à l'aube d'une nouvelle journée
Jacques Gorde
Painting - 46 x 55 x 3 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,685
Ruby of the Orchard: Still Life
Arayik Murdaynan
Painting - 40 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$199
Blue Silence
Christine Connelly
Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$4,037
Manifesto Bananero
Jean-François Boclé
Painting - 24 x 32 x 1 cm Painting - 9.4 x 12.6 x 0.4 inch
$3,030
Manifesto Bananero
Jean-François Boclé
Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 32 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.4 x 12.6 x 0.4 inch
$3,030
Life in Plastic III
Gergana Tabakova
Painting - 55 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 21.7 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,018
Cuina verd, groc i gris
Montse Roldos
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 30 x 0.03 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$209
Nature morte au faisan
Raymond Guerrier
Painting - 100 x 78 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 30.7 x 1.2 inch
$2,601
Red sky at night, afternoon delight
Rob Tucker
Painting - 100 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch
$9,047
Things aren't always what they seem
On Hansen
Photography - 69 x 100 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.2 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Sphere of Life, #2238, Mixed-Media Collage
Natasha Zupan
Photography - 54 x 44 x 2.5 cm Photography - 21.25 x 17.32 x 1 inch
$1,600
Cornflowers and Phloxes
Yuriy Demiyanov
Painting - 40 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch
$1,470
Cascade et tumulte, les Gorges du Loup
Claude Schürr
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 1 inch
$2,940
L’esprit de la terre
Bengt Lindström
Sculpture - 66 x 41 x 8 cm Sculpture - 26 x 16.1 x 3.1 inch
$7,464
De Chlore et de Rosé
Christopher Barraja
Photography - 90 x 60 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 inch
$1,357
Petit déjeuner II
Françoise Bircher
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$396
El resplandor [The shining]
Gloria Matarazzo
Print - 20 x 30 x 0.5 cm Print - 7.9 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$547
Lampe chou Romanesco
Jean Valera
Photography - 75 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,357
Le plateau d’huîtres
Edmond Ceria
Painting - 27 x 41 x 3 cm Painting - 10.6 x 16.1 x 1.2 inch
$2,827
Fruits et vin en Touraine
Jacques Despierre
Painting - 40 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$8,482
La Chapelle sur Carouge
Bram van Velde
Painting - 100 x 74 x 1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 29.1 x 0.4 inch
$248,800
Nature-morte aux pinceaux
Pierre Brochet
Photography - 30 x 40 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 inch
$509
Boxes #1 Blue on Red & Red on Blue
Ignacio Barrios
Photography - 62 x 42.5 x 4 cm Photography - 24.4 x 16.7 x 1.6 inch
$509
3 red balls of wool
Alison Aplin Artist
Painting - 91 x 122 x 4 cm Painting - 35.8 x 48 x 1.6 inch
$3,902
HEtresEnCompagnie #08
Corinne Bresson
Photography - 50 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch
$339
Bouquet de fleurs et vase en verre
Alexandre Rochat
Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,133
Boy with Turkey
Afro Basaldella
Sculpture - 130.5 x 98 x 1.4 cm Sculpture - 51.4 x 38.6 x 0.6 inch
$61,068
Mood for Love
Siranush Vardanyan
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,131
Nature Morte, Fruits et Couleurs (2)
Brooke Range
Print - 100 x 100 x 5 cm Print - 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch
$905
Valise-Mémoire 1
Olivier Sultan
Sculpture - 45 x 65 x 15 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 25.6 x 5.9 inch
$1,809
Sans titre
Odonchimeg Davaadorj
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 41.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 16.3 inch
$1,244
Fragile and Broken
David Bush
Fine Art Drawings - 81.3 x 121.9 x 2.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 48 x 1 inch
$1,400
Le bouquet de Chrystèle
Sandra Paris
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$460
Watch It Burn
Jennifer Gilligan
Painting - 19.05 x 24.13 x 0.6 cm Painting - 7.5 x 9.5 x 0.2 inch
$1,097
Fun sculpture composition
Klyöwa
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$875
C'est le passé que nous attendons
Théo Tobiasse
Painting - 101.6 x 81.3 x 5.1 cm Painting - 40 x 32 x 2 inch
$125,000
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…