Still life
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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
Femme Karo et son enfant. Ethiopie
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,451 $1,233
Odissey 9638
Gianni Colangelo
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$3,349
Odissey 9071
Gianni Colangelo
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$3,349
Odissey 6227
Gianni Colangelo
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$3,349
Odissey 9085
Gianni Colangelo
Photography - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Photography - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$3,349
Red and green apples in the summer garden
Lilya Volskaya
Painting - 60 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
$2,902
Still Life With Lemon
Dali Nazarishvili
Fine Art Drawings - 47 x 34 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18.5 x 13.4 x 0 inch
$2,791
Still Life With Bottles
Dali Nazarishvili
Fine Art Drawings - 35 x 46 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 13.8 x 18.1 x 0 inch
$2,791
Egg flowers in a red vase
Suthamma (Ta) Byrne
Painting - 110 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 43.3 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$2,980
Narzissen Duett
Gary Westall
Painting - 80 x 100.1 x 1.8 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.7 inch
$4,475
Apples with a cup
Albert Kechyan
Painting - 27.9 x 40.6 x 0.8 cm Painting - 11 x 16 x 0.3 inch
$3,491
ENSEMBLE LA BAS POUR LA VIE
Sophie Petetin
Painting - 90 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 1 inch
$2,177
Les parasols
Sacha Haillote
Photography - 80 x 80 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch
$1,842
Golf T
Max Steven Grossman
Photography - 91.4 x 188 x 1.3 cm Photography - 36 x 74 x 0.5 inch
$10,000
Sitting on a Cactus
Tamta Chachanidze
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$670
Multiple perspectives
Marlene Llanes
Painting - 101.6 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 inch
$4,090
In the barn, Painting, Oil on canvas
Bill Stone
Painting - 76.2 x 76.2 x 2 cm Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.8 inch
$2,200
Mihail (Chemiakin)
Konstantin Bokov
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 2.5 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 1 inch
$3,500
Landscape with a Moon Jar
Mun-Hyun Cho
Fine Art Drawings - 45 x 84 x 3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 17.7 x 33.1 x 1.2 inch
$3,349
Vase of Flowers
Antonio Feltrinelli
Painting - 49 x 39 x 0.5 cm Painting - 19.3 x 15.4 x 0.2 inch
$4,019
Landscape with a Moon Jar
Mun-Hyun Cho
Fine Art Drawings - 53 x 72.7 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 20.9 x 28.6 x 0.1 inch
$3,349
Landscape with a Moon Jar
Mun-Hyun Cho
Painting - 45 x 84 x 3 cm Painting - 17.7 x 33.1 x 1.2 inch
$3,349
Landscape with a Moon Jar
Mun-Hyun Cho
Painting - 65.2 x 91 x 3 cm Painting - 25.7 x 35.8 x 1.2 inch
$5,023
Grand Mother's Phone
Alexander (Sandro) Antadze
Painting - 50 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,679
Soviet Household Appliances
Alexander (Sandro) Antadze
Painting - 100 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$2,791
A Cat on a Warm TV
Alexander (Sandro) Antadze
Painting - 80 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$2,679
Nu Pogodi
Alexander (Sandro) Antadze
Painting - 80 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch
$2,679
Flower poem: hiding
Jihun Ju
Photography - 59.4 x 42 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.4 x 16.5 x 0 inch
$450
Still life with Tulips, Garden Gloves and a Fluted Opalina Vase, Antwerp ( Extra Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 203.2 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 80 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Still life with Books and a Dark Blue Opalina Vase, Antwerp (Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,000
Still life with an Opalina Vase and Two Pink Tulips, Antwerp (Large)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$8,000
Opalina, Portfolio of 9 photographs
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 167.6 x 129.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 66 x 51 x 0.1 inch
$10,000
Still Life with a Broken Egg, Antwerp
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 203.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 80 x 0.1 inch
$12,000
Still Life with a Metal Torso, Paris
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$7,000
Still Life, Portfolio of 8 photographs
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 111.8 x 172.7 x 0.3 cm Photography - 44 x 68 x 0.1 inch
$15,000
Le banc public devant la mer - série vision du monde
Thierry Bazin
Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch
$447
Le banc public à Paris - série vision du monde
Thierry Bazin
Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch
$447
Flower Vase
Jean-Raymond Delpech
Fine Art Drawings - 23.2 x 19 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.1 x 7.5 x 0 inch
$223
Lemon Chrisantems
Natalia Tretyakova
Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,456
White Chrysanthemums
Natalia Tretyakova
Painting - 65 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,456
L'éternelle attente
Pierre Sgamma
Painting - 100 x 81 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1.6 inch
$3,126
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…