Still life
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A Touch of Tenderness
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$335
A Tender Touch
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 33 x 25 x 0.001 cm Photography - 13 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$335
Wings of Light
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 40 x 59 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.2 x 0.4 inch
$470
Celestial Wing
Sylvia Fournier
Photography - 53 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 20.9 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$436
In the wild world of the white flower
Petya Deneva
Painting - 70 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,214
Secret Nature
Lyuben Domozetski
Painting - 20.5 x 29 x 0.2 cm Painting - 8.1 x 11.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,308
The Hibiscus
Nataliya Bagatskaya
Painting - 100 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 35.4 x 1 inch
$3,242
Broken celebrity #7
Zoltan Gerliczki
Photography - 64.8 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 25.5 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch
$2,200
Arcane IV- L’Empereur
Richard Laillier
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 20 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
$1,118
Arcane III- L’Impératrice
Richard Laillier
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 20 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
$1,118
Matrix Index 7 / Red
Colleen Wolstenholme
Sculpture - 66 x 66 x 13 cm Sculpture - 26 x 26 x 5.1 inch
$1,789
Matrix Index 6 / Red
Colleen Wolstenholme
Sculpture - 51 x 51 x 8 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 20.1 x 3.1 inch
$1,565
Matrix Index 5 / Silver
Colleen Wolstenholme
Sculpture - 66 x 66 x 15 cm Sculpture - 26 x 26 x 5.9 inch
$1,789
Matrix Index 3 / Charcoal
Colleen Wolstenholme
Sculpture - 66 x 66 x 8 cm Sculpture - 26 x 26 x 3.1 inch
$1,789
Matrix Index 2 / Gold
Colleen Wolstenholme
Sculpture - 66 x 66 x 8 cm Sculpture - 26 x 26 x 3.1 inch
$1,789
©0
Philippe Huart
Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 18 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.1 inch
$727
Evening Fragrances
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 60 x 60 x 10 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 3.9 inch
$1,057
Christmas Morning
Ania Pieniazek
Painting - 80 x 60 x 10 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 3.9 inch
$1,189
Still life with Lemon
Michael Gorban
Painting - 32 x 20 x 3 cm Painting - 12.6 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,140
Still Life with Lemons
Michael Gorban
Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch
$1,431
When I get there
Poonam Choudhary
Painting - 91.4 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm Painting - 36 x 48 x 2 inch
$1,400 $1,260
Les caprices pinces princiers
Salvador Dali
Print - 55.9 x 73.7 x 0.5 cm Print - 22 x 29 x 0.2 inch
$2,500
Hellopandasan : Starlit Whimsical Revelations
Hiro Ando
Sculpture - 30 x 70 x 40 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 27.6 x 15.7 inch
$23,478
Lampe butternut
Jean Valera
Photography - 75 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch
$1,342
Trilogie - Huitres et coquillages de mer
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,516
Le Majestueux - série poisson
Alexandra Baudin
Painting - 81 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$3,075
Magic Chandelier II
Tamara Bakhshinyan
Painting - 95 x 95 x 2 cm Painting - 37.4 x 37.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,342
Détente matinale, Nice
Claude Schürr
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1 inch
$9,503
Brigitte Bardot
Robert van Bolderick
Painting - 80 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch
$1,006
Lichtreflex Rotation
Hein Gravenhorst
Photography - 30 x 30 cm Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 inch
$1,677
La Maison Rouge
Caroline de Piédoüe
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$1,677
Passereaux trépassés 9 : Fauvette à tête noire 4
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$425
Passereaux trépassés 8 : Merlette
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$425
Passereaux trépassés 7 : Rouge gorge
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391
Passereaux trépassés 5 : Martinet noir
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391
Passereaux trépassés 4 : Fauvette à tête noire 2
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391
Passereaux trépassés 3 : Fauvette à tête noire
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391
Passereaux trépassés 2 : Sittelle
Thierry Robert
Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$391
I (Cattleya)
Zornitsa Gramkova
Photography - 90 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$1,163
II (Columnea)
Zornitsa Gramkova
Photography - 120 x 90 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 35.4 x 0 inch
$1,163
Attraverso lo specchio
Alexander Daniloff
Painting - 35 x 35 x 0.6 cm Painting - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch
$581
Arcane XIV- La Tempérance
Richard Laillier
Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 20 x 0.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch
$1,118
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
$1,677
Duet in crimson
Zhirayr Khachatryan
Painting - 30 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$340
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…