Still life
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Bouquet chatoyant
Giuseppe Piermatteo
Painting - 40 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch
$949
Ballon de rugby
Les Frères Guinet
Sculpture - 30 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
$2,679
Whiskey in the Jaro
Daniel Clarke
Painting - 30.5 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 18 x 0.1 inch
$264
Still life of Spheres and Wood Sculpture
Antonio Sciacca
Painting - 100 x 98 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 38.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,451
Still Life with Mask and Books
Antonio Sciacca
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,105
Untitled
Francesc Genovés
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 65 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0 inch
$620
La beauté du monde
Blu_451
Fine Art Drawings - 32 x 25 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.6 x 9.8 x 0.4 inch
$290
Banquet au Rialto
Nathalie Lemaître
Painting - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$5,358
Tenue de Soirée
Dominique Jullien
Photography - 30 x 17 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 6.7 x 0.4 inch
$502
Tourbillon de Plaisirs
Dominique Jullien
Photography - 30 x 17 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 6.7 x 0.4 inch
$502
Robe de Gala
Dominique Jullien
Photography - 30 x 17 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 6.7 x 0.4 inch
$502
Egg Study 5, Silver Gelatin Print
Shine Huang
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$2,400
Dead nature scroll #2
Andrés Rozo Samer
Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch
$1,256
Jorge's kitchen
Barry Cawston
Photography - 100 x 120 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$3,075
Pain et couteau
Raoul Ubac
Fine Art Drawings - 36 x 42 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14.2 x 16.5 inch
$11,163
Still life - the light of a candle
Nataliia Krykun
Painting - 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$5,581
Still life with samovar
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,679
Velvet Sunflowers in a blue night light
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 130 x 97 x 3 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch
$2,791
Durchblick - Perspektive (103)
Petra Rattay
Painting - 40 x 40 x 0.2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$993
Les astuces du grand Duc
Catherine Chauloux
Painting - 50 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$1,786
Melon et tranche
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 27 x 35 x 1.5 cm Painting - 10.6 x 13.8 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
L'écaille, le chardonneret et la grappe de raisin
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 27 x 35 x 1.5 cm Painting - 10.6 x 13.8 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
Pot, deux pommes, poire
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 27 x 41 x 1.5 cm Painting - 10.6 x 16.1 x 0.6 inch
$1,702
Le cardinal à la coupe de raisin
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 35 x 27 x 1.5 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
Le chardonneret à la grenade No 2
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 24 x 19 x 1.5 cm Painting - 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.6 inch
$1,395
Le Martin-pêcheur aux iris des marais
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 33 x 24 x 1.5 cm Painting - 13 x 9.4 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
Le bouvreuil aux fraises
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 24 x 19 x 1.5 cm Painting - 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.6 inch
$1,395
Le Martin-pêcheur à la tulipe
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 35 x 27 x 1.5 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.6 inch
$1,669
L'écureuil à la botte d'asperges
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 35 x 24 x 1.5 cm Painting - 13.8 x 9.4 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
La mésange charbonnière à la tarte citron
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 27 x 22 x 1.5 cm Painting - 10.6 x 8.7 x 0.6 inch
$1,507
La brioche et le chardonneret
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 41 x 24 x 1.5 cm Painting - 16.1 x 9.4 x 0.6 inch
$1,758
Le pot à graisse, le rollet et les citrons
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 46 x 38 x 1.5 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.6 inch
$1,892
Gaufres au sirop
Valéry Vecu Quitard
Painting - 24 x 33 x 1.5 cm Painting - 9.4 x 13 x 0.6 inch
$1,647
Feminine Electric Wires
Dzovig Arnelian
Painting - 60 x 50 x 0.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch
$435
Autumn composition
Stanislav Lazarov
Painting - 35 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$949
Run out 1
Baptiste Laurent
Painting - 250 x 180 x 3 cm Painting - 98.4 x 70.9 x 1.2 inch
$5,280 $4,224
Le Balcon / The Balcony
Stéphane Chauvin
Painting - 61 x 46 x 5 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 x 2 inch
$781
Huitre - série coquillage de mer
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch
$251
Bouquet de pivoines
Philippe Destors
Painting - 46 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,764
Anémones et rosée
Philippe Destors
Painting - 27 x 35 x 2 cm Painting - 10.6 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch
$1,440
Poire
Anne Pieussergues Dherbicourt
Fine Art Drawings - 51 x 36 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 20.1 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
$876
Sonny, are the apples sweet?
Anna Bulkina
Painting - 241.3 x 304.8 x 7.6 cm Painting - 95 x 120 x 3 inch
$4,050
Still life with bird and kettle
Ara Gasparyan
Painting - 35 x 24 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$300
1/The magician
Emma Anna
Photography - 39.4 x 26.7 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.5 x 10.5 x 0.1 inch
$900
Petit déjeuner à la française
Marine De Quénetain
Painting - 140 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 55.1 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$5,470
Pray for
Shui Qiu
Fine Art Drawings - 120 x 70 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 47.2 x 27.6 x 0 inch
$4,500
Les Duettistes II
Jean-Marie Gitard (Mr Strange)
Print - 49 x 49 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.3 x 19.3 x 0 inch
$334
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…