Still Life

Still life, the art of representing inanimate objects like fruit, flowers, tableware, and everyday objects, is among the oldest genres in Western Art.

The style dates back centuries, yet few artists have used it quite as much as the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century. Their tables might be crowded with flowers, fruit and silverware, but these objects aren’t merely decoration; they serve as symbols, enabling communication through the canvas. A snuffed-out candle or a piece of fruit beginning to decay for example, could serve as a memento mori. Still life is an invitation to look beyond what was immediately in front of us.

The use of the genre in modern and contemporary art, therefore, is a transformation of traditions into new realms, having been built upon by artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Litchenstein, and Pablo Picasso.