Still life
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Brigitte Bardot
Robert van Bolderick
Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$1,005
Bouquet de fleurs des champs
Pascal Hayot
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$502
Chinchard sur assiette et une poire
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 46 x 46 x 1 cm Painting - 18.1 x 18.1 x 0.4 inch
$502
Chinchards sur assiette
Stephanie Larène
Painting - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$491
Sailing
Max Steven Grossman
Photography - 127 x 139.7 x 2.5 cm Photography - 50 x 55 x 1 inch
$10,000
Film B&W V
Max Steven Grossman
Photography - 231.1 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm Photography - 91 x 48 x 2 inch
$15,500
Still life with pomegranates and grapes
Arayik Murdaynan
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$999
Secret Nature
Lyuben Domozetski
Painting - 20.5 x 29 x 0.2 cm Painting - 8.1 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,306
St. Pimen (hommage à Ivan Lazarov)
Lyuben Domozetski
Painting - 40 x 29.5 x 3.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.6 x 1.4 inch
$1,306
Le monde de l’art n’est pas le monde du pardon
Zao Wou-Ki
Print - 34 x 26 x 1 cm Print - 13.4 x 10.2 x 0.4 inch
$6,921
Fleurs et pommes
Charlotte Abecassis
Painting - 56 x 42 x 3 cm Painting - 22 x 16.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,116
Magnetic Radiation 99 (Medium)
Seb Janiak
Photography - 120 x 90 cm Photography - 47.2 x 35.4 inch
$4,579
Scrigno cinese
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 60 x 70 x 1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch
$653 $556
Field flowers and pomegranate
Tigran Avetyan
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,050
Blue Jug on Table
Takashi Yasuoka
Painting - 22 x 27.3 x 1.8 cm Painting - 8.7 x 10.7 x 0.7 inch
$1,529
Yellow Flowers
Takashi Yasuoka
Painting - 27.3 x 22 x 1.8 cm Painting - 10.7 x 8.7 x 0.7 inch
$1,529
1963 "Wiener Aktionismus" L'orée de la forêt, The edge of the forest
Adolf Frohner
Print - 75 x 53.5 cm Print - 29.5 x 21.1 inch
$1,060
Lush Bouquet of Peonies - peonies oil painting
Nikolay Dmitriev
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,228
The Bouquet Of Lilacs Near the Light Window - floral still life
Nikolay Dmitriev
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,228
Offrir
Philippe Huart
Fine Art Drawings - 13 x 18 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.1 x 7.1 x 0.1 inch
$558
Les Animaux de la Savane / Savannah's Animals
Eric Khellas
Painting - 92 x 73 x 5 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 2 inch
$1,340
Boîte n°2 - série boîte de conserve
Anne-Marie Renno
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$804
Le Cannet by night
Linda McCluskey
Painting - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch
$2,177
Détente matinale, Nice
Claude Schürr
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1 inch
$9,488
Ombres et Lumières sur le Quercy
Thérèse Bosc
Painting - 130 x 100 cm Painting - 51.2 x 39.4 inch
$2,724
Cy Twombly’s chair.
Manuel Santelices
Painting - 30.5 x 22.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 9 x 0.1 inch
$1,100
Cala lily
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 35.6 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 14 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$850
Marie Antoinette Shoes
Manuel Santelices
Painting - 30.5 x 22.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 12 x 9 x 0.1 inch
$1,200
Still life with birds
Ara Gasparyan
Painting - 35 x 72 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 28.3 x 0.8 inch
$900
Gerro amb flors / Vase with Flowers
Joan Hernández Pijuan
Print - 151 x 112 x 0.1 cm Print - 59.4 x 44.1 x 0 inch
$3,126
Architecture
Sergio Storel
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 56 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$977
Composition aux outils
John Reitz
Painting - 45 x 45 x 0.4 cm Painting - 17.7 x 17.7 x 0.2 inch
$1,018
La bibliothèque bleue
Jean-Vincent Escalant
Painting - 90 x 90 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 inch
$1,340
Flowers, fruits and veggies
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 60 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 2 inch
$1,178
Roses and long pears
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 60 x 60 x 5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 2 inch
$1,047
Anniversary Celebration
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 60 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 2 inch
$1,178
Conversation with Poppies
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 80 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch
$1,570
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
$893
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…