Still life
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More Sketches of Spain - for Miles Davis
George Condo
Print - 130 x 97 cm Print - 51.2 x 38.2 inch
$7,256
Campidoglio (Diptych)
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 76.2 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$5,000
Ingénue
Gino Charpentier
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$447
Jambe en l’air
Gino Charpentier
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$447
Racines de la vie
Gino Charpentier
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$447
Flowering
Rossella Mercedes
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 24 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 9.4 x 0 inch
$145
Sans titre
Bruce Tchibozo
Fine Art Drawings - 32.5 x 50 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.8 x 19.7 inch
$670
My stagnant self
Dzovig Arnelian
Photography - 40 x 44 x 0.5 cm Photography - 15.7 x 17.3 x 0.2 inch
$250
Wither
Rossella Mercedes
Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.4 x 0 inch
$268
Christ Mort d'après Philippe de Champaigne
Antoine Correia
Painting - 130 x 195 x 3 cm Painting - 51.2 x 76.8 x 1.2 inch
$14,288
Lycidas (Diptych), n.d. Large
Michael James O'Brien
Photography - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 inch
$12,000
Girl with Vase of Flowers
Franco Gentilini
Print - 54 x 76 x 0.3 cm Print - 21.3 x 29.9 x 0.1 inch
$391
Figure Collection : Light version
Leni Smoragdova
Photography - 150.1 x 110 x 1 cm Photography - 59.1 x 43.3 x 0.4 inch
$2,567
Figure Collection : Dark version
Leni Smoragdova
Photography - 80 x 100.1 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$2,400
Child On The Beach
Josep Serra I Santa Serranta
Painting - 45 x 36 x 4 cm Painting - 17.7 x 14.2 x 1.6 inch
$44,651
Kællingedigte Poemes a la garce (Jens August Schade)
Lars Bo
Print - 46 x 36 cm Print - 18.1 x 14.2 inch
$335
Kællingedigte Poemes a la garce (Jens August Schade)
Lars Bo
Print - 46 x 36 cm Print - 18.1 x 14.2 inch
$335
Kællingedigte Poemes a la garce (Jens August Schade)
Lars Bo
Print - 46 x 36 cm Print - 18.1 x 14.2 inch
$335
Dumping
Jean-Paul Veison Marcelli
Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch
$352
C2
Jean-Paul Veison Marcelli
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
$469
Tangled Up in Black
Paul Manes
Painting - 101.6 x 91.4 cm Painting - 40 x 36 inch
Price upon request
Pastel Still Art
Elena Lukina
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
Price upon request
Allumette
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 20 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
Price upon request
Smoking kills
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 41 x 33 x 12 cm Sculpture - 16.1 x 13 x 4.7 inch
Price upon request
Impact
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 20 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
Price upon request
Impact
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 21.5 x 70 x 15 cm Sculpture - 8.5 x 27.6 x 5.9 inch
Price upon request
Impact
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 70 x 35 x 11 cm Sculpture - 27.6 x 13.8 x 4.3 inch
Price upon request
Warez Waldo
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 x 2.5 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1 inch
Price upon request
Winnie the Pooh: Tigger Warning
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
Price upon request
Pokemon HODL: Childhood Addiction - Game Boy (Crystal)
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 59.9 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 inch
Price upon request
Photoshop: Reality First Draft - 3.5" Grey
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 69.9 x 69.9 cm Painting - 27.5 x 27.5 inch
Price upon request
The Credible Hulk - 3.5" Green
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 70.1 x 70.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch
Price upon request
OpenAI: Your Problem Or Mine? - Terminal
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 59.9 x 70.1 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 inch
Price upon request
Geeky Blinders
Arlo Sinclair
Painting - 100.1 x 100.1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 inch
Price upon request
Big strings
Arman
Sculpture - 185 x 90 x 40 cm Sculpture - 72.8 x 35.4 x 15.7 inch
Price upon request
Pomme d'Amour
Onemizer
Painting - 130 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 0.8 inch
Price upon request
Cher grand-père
Alione
Painting - 65 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch
Price upon request
Migration
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 72 x 53 x 10 cm Sculpture - 28.3 x 20.9 x 3.9 inch
Price upon request
Impact
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 90 x 31 x 11 cm Sculpture - 35.4 x 12.2 x 4.3 inch
Price upon request
Impact
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 20 x 20 x 20 cm Sculpture - 7.9 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch
Price upon request
Allumette
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 45 x 40 x 13 cm Sculpture - 17.7 x 15.7 x 5.1 inch
Price upon request
Armand de Brignac
Jean-Luc Maniouloux
Sculpture - 48.5 x 32.3 x 17.5 cm Sculpture - 19.1 x 12.7 x 6.9 inch
Price upon request
Oysters with blue striped drapery
Irina Trushkova
Painting - 34 x 42 x 2 cm Painting - 13.4 x 16.5 x 0.8 inch
Sold
Nature morte à la feuille de figuier
Bernard Buffet
Painting - 54 x 65 x 3 cm Painting - 21.3 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch
Sold
Canovaccio Verde sulla Sedia
Luigi Iona
Painting - 44 x 36 x 0.3 cm Painting - 17.3 x 14.2 x 0.1 inch
Sold
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…