Still Life

Still Life

A still life is a painting of inanimate objects- items that cannot move. Things such as bottles, bowls, fruits, flowers, and cloth often appear in these works. [MH] {NR}
Still life pictures are meant to capture everyday life. Still life artists find ways to arrange everyday objects in ways that give them a new context. Combinations of bright sunlight and intense darkness are used to make the objects appear like sacred examples of God’s work. This style started to appear in the 1500s and was not complete until 1600. It was shaped less by the genius of individual artists than by the need to cater to popular taste as church commissions became steadily scarcer. [RA] {HI}