Ancient Still Life Some of the earliest still life images come from tomb paintings created by ancient Egyptians during the 15th Century BCE. As part of their religious beliefs, the Egyptians placed images of everyday items and food on the walls of tombs to meet the needs of the deceased in the after life. Still life artworks can also be found in ancient Greek and Roman ruins in the form of mosaics and frescoes.
The Golden Age of Still Life The 17th century during the Renaissance in Northern Europe brought still life, as a subject, to its zenith. For hundreds of years prior to this time, most art work was religious in nature. During the Dutch Golden age, Vanitas paintings came into vogue depicting everyday objects that symbolized the shortness of life and displayed the wealth and excesses of the time.
Skull – The fragility of life and the inevitability of mortality
Rotten Fruit – Aging and the passing of time. Mature fruits mean fertility and wealth, due to the abundance of being able to let fruit go rotten. Different fruits have different connotations, such as apples, tomatoes, grapes, peaches, and pears meaning the fall of man. • Peaches – symbolizes truth and salvation. • Apple – wisdom, yet temptation and original sin. • Watch, Hourglass or Timepiece – the transience and limitation of time. • Books – Human curiosity and knowledge, and the limitations and temporary nature of this. • Shells – a sense of exoticism and wealth, as they were not commonly found in the Netherlands, where Vanitas paintings originated. Only the very wealthy would be able to afford exotic items such as shells, therefore they represent a sense of vanity and uncouth ostentatiousness. Also, a sign of death and frailty, as shells were often once homes for a living animal. • Decaying Flowers – the decay of the body, and the inevitable mortality of human nature. Decaying flowers were often included in works with a variety of rich objects which depicted wealth, to contrast the beauty of wealth with the inevitability of impending death. Different flowers symbolize different virtues:
Rose – love, sensuality, vanity
Poppy – mortal sin and laziness, due to its opiate properties.
Tulip – irresponsibility, naivety, and foolishness.
Silk or Velvet Materials – symbolize vanity. Silk and velvet were expensive materials, which were exclusive to the richest members of society. • Oriental Rugs or Carpets – symbolize wealth. These were exclusive and expensive items, which were placed on tables to protect the color and quality of the wood. They were also an industrious symbol, as they were brought to Northern Europe through trade and business. • Jewelry or Clothing – the temporal nature of beauty, and the sin of narcissism. The symbolize the transience of the beauty of the body and the nature of wisdom in human life. Earthly riches are important in life, but soon mean little once life is over.
Mirror – a clear symbol of vanity and self-reflection.
Candle or Lamp – the human soul. It’s loss or blowing out symbolizes the loss of the soul and the transience of life.
Cups, Playing Cards, Dice or Chess – sign of faulty life goals, finding pleasures in sin.
Arms and Armor – authority and power. Asign of earthly power and designations that mean little in the afterlife. • Glass – an empty glass symbolizes death. Glass also connotes fragility, whilst white porcelain represents purity. Abottle symbolizes drunkenness and uncouth behavior.
Knife – human vulnerability and mortality.
Medical Tools – a reminder of the fleshy reality of the human body, and its multiple possibilities to fail.
Clara Peeters
Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries, ca. 1625
Los Angeles County Museum of Arthttps://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-dutch-lifes-dark-secrets-hide-exotic-delicacies
Still Life with Flowers, Fruit, Shells, and Insects by Balthasar van der Ast, c. 1629, via Birmingham Museum of Arthttps://www.thecollector.com/still-life-paintings-what-they-mean/
Contemporary Still Life There is a resurgence of the still life genre today after many years of critics down playing its role in the art world. Artist with all types of styles and media have been drawn to the still life to express their contemporary surroundings.
Common themes Glorifies the common or trivial Play on the artificial and real Criticism of overconsumption Used as a wake up call for excessive behaviors May include commercial or household items Freezes items in the process of decay Shows the effects of the passing of time Creates an intimacy between the image and viewer
NICOLE DRYER -captures the ephemera of contemporary life in the digital age with her vibrant paintings, drawings, and mixed-media assemblages and sculptures depicting a plethora of everyday objects. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-17-contemporary-artists-reimagining-life
MELISSA RITCHIE depicts a day in the life of a busy working woman. https://bluethumb.com.au/blog/artists/10-of-the-best-still-life-artists-of-2021/
ANDRIA BEIGHTON takes inspiration from the 20th century’s brutalist architecture, as well as the mid-century bold graphics that are now so iconic in ever-cool vintage posters from the era.
https://bluethumb.com.au/blog/artists/10-of-the-best-still-life-artists-of-2021/
JAMES WHITE (The Sink, 2015 oil and varnish on acrylic sheet)- Painted on aluminum, wood or plastic, his work has its origin in snapshot photographs taken of his environment both domestically and when travelling—a door that is slightly ajar, a glass of water left on a bathroom sink, a broom leaning against a wall
https://www.skny.com/artists/james-white