Fifth Grade Art
Still Life
Paintings
Miss Derrig
What is a Still Life?
A still life is a piece of art that features a
composition of inanimate objects as its subject.
The term “still life” is derived from the Dutch word stilleven, which
gained prominence during the 16th century, though its roots date
back to ancient times
History of Still Life
Still life art has changed over time with the
development of different art movements.
These are some of the key periods and artists of
still life art.
1st/2nd Century
Roman Antiquity
Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE
buried and preserved the towns of
Pompeii and Herculaneum,
including many buildings that had
paintings on the walls of different
foods, vessels, and other household
items.
From the House of Julia Felix, Pompeii,
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
15th Century
Renaissance
Perspective allowed artists to create
compositions that depicted the objects in a
realistic physical space within the artwork.
This is also when we see the idea of the
individual artist and creating paintings as
single works for the first time.
Majolica Vase with Flowers, Hans Memling c. 1485
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
16th Century
Scientific Observation
Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and
Albrecht Dürer pushed the idea of still lifes
further by combining art with the scientific
observation of nature (and it’s details). They
were compositionally different than most
still lifes, however, we can see its influence
on the genre later on.
Great Piece of Turf, Albrecht Dürer, 1503
Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna
16th Century
Everyday Life in Art
Artists at this time became more interested
in creating art about their everyday lives
and other personal interests. They used art
to show their appreciation for these things.
This is when the concept of the modern still
life started to develop.
Basket of Fruit, Caravaggio, 1593-94
Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milan
17th Century
Art Hierarchy
Artists started to create still lifes of different
subjects, like instruments and dinner table foods,
but the most significant was the floral
arrangements.
This is when the French Academy established
the hierarchy of art genres, ranking still life last,
despite the fact that it was one of the most
common types of art being created at that time.
A Vase with Flowers, Jacob Vosmaer, c. 1613
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
18th Century
Spanish Academies
Spain also established its own academies
to train artists, however, the greatest
Spanish still-life painter of the 18th century
was Luis Meléndez, an artist that was
expelled from the academies. He lived in
poverty and did not get to witness his own
success.
Still Life with Oranges and Walnuts,
Luis Meléndez, 1772
The National Gallery, London
19th Century
American Illusionist
Introduced by Dutch artists in the 17th
century, deception art, known as trompe
l’oeil, became popular in American in the
19th century with artists like John Haberle.
In this style, artists create hyper-realistic
works that create the illusion that the
objects exist in three-dimensions.
Imitation, John Haberle, 1887
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
19th Century
Afro-American Artist
Before the 1900s, Black artists did not
receive the recognition and praise that
they deserved. Charles Ethan Porter was
one of the first African-American artists to
exhibit at the National Academy of Design,
where he was a student.
Peonies in a Bowl, Charles Ethan Porter, 1885,
private collection
19th Century
Impressionism
Impressionist artworks usually capture
lighting effects, passage of time, and
movement, by using small yet visible
brush strokes. Still lifes were not a
common subject of Impressionist art
works, however, when Monet wasn’t able
to go outside to paint, he painted still lifes.
The brush strokes and attention to light is
still noticeable.
Apples and Grapes, Claude Monet, 1879-90,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
19th Century
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionists were drawn to similar
subjects and used similar brush strokes as
the Impressionists, however, their forms
had clearer edges and didn’t keep lighting
and colors realistic, it was more
exaggerated at times. The overwhelming
yellow in Sunflowers by van Gogh depicts
the Post-Impressionists use of color.
Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh, 1889,
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
20th Century
Cubism
Cubism rejects the tradition of
representing figures and objects to look
realistically three-dimensional. Instead, it
breaks its subjects down into geometric
shapes and planes that are viewed from
different angles at the same time to
suggest their 3D form.
Still Life with Chair Caning, Pablo Picasso, 1912,
Musée Picasso, Paris
20th Century
Nihonga
Tsuchida Bakusan, a Japanese artist,
created this still life after traveling in
Europe, where he got inspiration from
Renaissance still lifes. The Nihonga style of
art uses water-based pigments and
Japanese paper and mounting.
Salmon Slices and Sardines, Tsuchida Bakusan,
1924, Adachi Museum of Art, Japan
20th Century
Naïve Folk Art
This still life was painted by Frida Kahlo as
a gift for her friend who was also her
dentist. Naïve art is art made by someone
without formal artistic training or
education. Folk art consists of all art that
represents aspects of a community’s
culture.
Still Life (I Belong to Samuel Fastlitch), Frida
Kahlo, 1951, Museo Dolores Olmeda, Mexico
20th Century
Pop Art
Pop art developed as a rejection of
Abstract Expressionism and instead
focused on popular recognizable images
from media.
Still Life with Crystal Bowl, Roy Lichtenstein, 1972,
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
References
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism
Adams, L. S., & Ltd, P. L. K. (2006). The Making and Meaning of Art (1st ed.). Pearson.
Hume, H. D. (2010). The Art Teacher’s Book of Lists, 2nd Edition (J-B Ed: Book of Lists) (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Wilmerding, J. (2013). The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art (Illustrated ed.). Rizzoli.
Fusscas, H., & Driskell, D. C. (1987). Charles Ethan Porter, 1847?-1923 (First Edition). Connecticut Gallery.
Cherry, P., & Jordan, W. B. (1995). Spanish Still Life from Velazquez to Goya (National Gallery London
Publications) (0 ed.). National Gallery London.
Ebert-Schifferer, S. (1999). Still Life: A History. Harry N. Abrams.
*All images linked to the website where they were found*
