Still life
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Blue Plate Obsession
Margaret Horvat
Painting - 61 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 36 x 1 inch
$5,000
Titre Le Louvre salle 38 - Vermeer
Pierre Collin
Print - 50 x 65 x 1 cm Print - 19.7 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch
$475
Cherries in glass bowl
Ekaterina Gasmi
Painting - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$7,695
Variation #4 (série méditations)
José Luis Lopez Lara
Painting - 25.7 x 37.7 cm Painting - 10.1 x 14.8 inch
$453
Living room with yellow walls
Michael Callas
Painting - 100 x 150 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch
$23,000
Apple Care Porcelain
Fidia Faleschetti
Sculpture - 9 x 7 x 7 cm Sculpture - 3.5 x 2.8 x 2.8 inch
$339
Sans titre (#08-22)
Pawel Zak
Photography - 67 x 93 x 0.1 cm Photography - 26.4 x 36.6 x 0 inch
$5,205
Si Dios hubiera piantado el peras en el Eden en lugar del manzano no habria tal inferno
Kobra & Walsh
Print - 60 x 43 x 1 cm Print - 23.6 x 16.9 x 0.4 inch
$204
Coupe de fruits sur la table
Christophe Marion
Painting - 60 x 50 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 inch
$306
One Fountain at the mountains IV
Francisco Nicolás
Fine Art Drawings - 23 x 31 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.1 x 12.2 x 0.1 inch
$996
Nature morte à la guitare et statue
Pippo Oriani
Fine Art Drawings - 32.5 x 44.5 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12.8 x 17.5 x 0.1 inch
$1,027
Fleur
Gino Charpentier
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$453
ABC of Sins / El Ebecedario de los Pecados
Williams Carmona
Painting - 63.5 x 86.4 cm Painting - 25 x 34 inch
$9,200
Still Life
Arturo Tosi
Painting - 42 x 54 x 1.4 cm Painting - 16.5 x 21.3 x 0.6 inch
Price upon request
Fleurs ressuscitées
Julien Cuny
Painting - 188 x 95 x 2.5 cm Painting - 74 x 37.4 x 1 inch
$3,508 $3,157
Still life with melon
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,400
Bouquet of lilac
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 70 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,320
Softer Notes for Love
Katharina Husslein
Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$1,697
Les livres de poche
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,120
Caillou au trait rouge
Françoise Danel
Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$509
Il vaso di raku
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 75 x 70 x 1.5 cm Painting - 29.5 x 27.6 x 0.6 inch
$883
Bouquet of wild flowers
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 75 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 29.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,600
Bouquet Beautiful
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59.5 x 69.5 x 1.8 cm Painting - 23.4 x 27.4 x 0.7 inch
$792
Yellow Rose.
Rakhmet Redzhepov (Ramzi)
Painting - 59 x 69 x 1.8 cm Painting - 23.2 x 27.2 x 0.7 inch
$792
Vibrant Meadow Bouquet
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$999
Transparence grise
Françoise Danel
Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$3,961
Golden Pomegranate Harvest
Vlas Ayvazyan
Painting - 40 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$600
Bouquet of Chamomiles
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,600
The Beauty of Yellow Roses
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$999
Alberobello Echoes - 10
Ralouka Montesi
Photography - 45 x 30 cm Photography - 17.7 x 11.8 inch
$764
Alberobello Echoes - 05
Ralouka Montesi
Photography - 70 x 50 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 inch
$1,069
La poire ouverte, lithographie originale
Claude Gaveau
Print - 72 x 56 x 0.3 cm Print - 28.3 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$430
L'Atelier prismatique
Sophie Dumont
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,912
Delicate blossom bouquet
Marieta Martirosyan
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$450
Couleur Majorelle III
Agnès Tiollier
Fine Art Drawings - 69 x 49 x 0.15 cm Fine Art Drawings - 27.2 x 19.3 x 0.1 inch
$1,018
Pomegranate delight-texture fruit painting, red and green colors
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 35 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$860
Le gobelet d'argent
Françoise Danel
Painting - 116 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 45.7 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
$3,848
After the Party FS II. 183
Andy Warhol
Print - 54.61 x 77.47 x 2.54 cm Print - 21.5 x 30.5 x 1 inch
$84,997
At the Underground Pub
Dondi Schwartz
Painting - 42 x 86 x 3 cm Painting - 16.5 x 33.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,245
Nature morte aux patates douces - Sculpture bronze
Plaf
Sculpture - 9 x 15.5 x 6.5 cm Sculpture - 3.5 x 6.1 x 2.6 inch
$1,697
Pomegranate Delight
Sergey Miqayelyan
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$280
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 128
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 67.6 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 26.6 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$3,200
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 524
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 50.8 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 20 x 30 x 0.1 inch
$2,300
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 410
Victoria Cohen
Photography - 67.6 x 101.6 x 0.3 cm Photography - 26.6 x 40 x 0.1 inch
$3,200
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…