For this research point I have been asked to research into the still life genre. 

I firstly discovered that still life is a work of art that depicts a collection of objects. Still life has origins in the Middle Ages and in ancient Roman times however it really emerged as a distinct genre in western painting in the late 16th century, and has remained significant since then. 

I started by looking at some traditional approaches by sixteenth and seventeenth century Dutch painters

I discovered that the term still life is derived from the Dutch word stilleven. 

I found out that still-life paintings, particularly before 1700, often contained religious symbolism relating to the objects. 

Often the scenes were somber and are read symbolically through the lens of Christian religious traditions. They often represented the cycle or transience of life. For example, rotting fruit or withered flowers would be used to show this. This type of still life was often described as ‘Vanitas’ which is a term used to describe a still life painting of a 17th-century Dutch genre containing symbols of death or change as a reminder of their inevitability.

I decided to look at Jacques De Gheyns, Vanitas Still Life, 1603.

This painting is considered to be one of the the earliest known still life painting of a vanitas subject. 

Colour wise this is a dark somber piece that evokes feelings of fear or depression in me. Central to the piece is a large bubble with what looks like a wheel of torture floating inside it. Below the bubble is a skull with flowers and a smoking urn either side of it. This could all refer to the shortness of life? Along the bottom of the piece are Spanish coins and a Dutch medal that could refer to the foolishness of the human race?  The figures next to the arch’s are said to be Democritus and Heraclitus, the laughing and weeping philosophers of ancient Greece.

As the century developed and Holland became richer the Dutch  people became more interested in material goods and representations of wealth. This led to a change in still life painting. Society now wanted art that showed their new found luxury’s. One example of this is Dutch artist Abraham Van Beyeren’s painting ‘Still life with lobster and fruit.’ 

Like Jacques De Gheyns, Vanitas Still Life, 1603. This painting feels quite dark. (Maybe because both backgrounds are black?) However unlike the vanitas works, Abraham Van Beyeren’s painting ‘Still life with lobster and fruit’ feels rich and luxurious. It’s richness of colour and exquisite detail makes me feel hungry and as if this heavily laden table full of lush fruits and lobster is a banquet for for a king! I love Abraham Van Beyeren’s use of reflective surfaces of both glass and metal it just seems to emphasise these luxurious food items further. The painting doesn’t just boast of luxurious food but shows imported goods such as the blue and white porcelain bowl from China. (During this time imported goods were a sure sign of wealth.) 

I then moved on to nineteenth century artists and tried to explore how the genre was interpreted by artist Paul Cexanne and modernist artists like the cubists Picasso and Braque. 

Cézanne has been described as one of the greatest masters of the Post-Impressionist movement. He developed his own style, which has been described as architectural or sculptural. 

He wanted to break away from the realistic works of the impressionists before him, he wanted his work to be more abstract. He wanted his work to look like a painting rather than be an exact replica of the work his was producing. He did this by reducing his objects into their simplest forms and shapes and doing the same with colour. 

I decided to look at Cézanne’s Dish of Apples, 1879.  This is a painting of a metallic looking dish of red apples, they are positioned on a bright white table cloth on a table next to a patterned teapot. The brightness of the white table cloth  really emphasises  the red colour of the apples. In the background is what appears to be a beautifully elaborated cupboard or chest of drawers.

In this painting Cézanne’s style is evident. The apples are basic sphere shapes made up of scales of colour, with very little attention to detail or accuracy.
This painting is less realistic than the last couple of paintings I have looked at and the brushstrokes are more obvious or expressive. In turn this makes me think that I am looking at a painting of a dish of apples rather than an actual dish of apples. Which is exactly what Cézanne was hoping to achieve. 

Cézanne’s new style has been said to set the stage for Cubists, Fauvists, and avant-garde art movements. 

I decided to move on, to look at how Picasso & Braque depicted this still life genre in their cubist works. 

I discovered that both artists forged a close relationship both as friends and as rivals and together they began the cubist movement. 

Both Picasso and Braque wanted to move away from the very realistic paintings of the past and they were both inspired by Cézanne. They did this by transforming everyday objects into geometric shapes. 

While their Cubist works look very similar, Picasso and Braque often strove for different results – Braque wanted his works to keep a sense of balance while Picasso wanted the opposite and tried to to disrupt this harmony.

Below are some examples of their work: 

Finally I looked at how contemporary artists today are working with still life. I discovered the work of Audrey Flack, an artist best known for her photo realist still life paintings. I questioned how her approach differs from traditional practice in terms of subject matter, materials and composition. 

Audrey flack was one of the first artists to use photographs as the basis for painting. Audrey Flacks work takes its cues from Pop art by bringing in everyday household items like tubes of lipstick and perfume bottles. She was however also inspired by the works of Dutch 17th century still life paintings too. 

I decided to look at her 1977  Marilyn painting. This was a painting that was part of a collection titled ‘Vanitas.’

The painting comprises of an image of Marlyn Monroe, surrounded by a rose, a selection of whole and cut fruit. An hourglass, a pocket watch, a calendar, a blue drinking glass filled with a pearl necklace, paint pots, a candle, a mirror reflecting Marlyn’s face and make up  all resting upon a rich red fabric. 

Flack has clearly been inspired by 17th century Dutch artists here by creating a modern day ‘Vanitas’ she has tried to show life’s transient nature by including conventional vanitas symbols such as an hourglass a candle and a flower. She has also included modern symbols too such as a photograph of Marlyn Monroe and a calendar. 

Bibliography: 

Manchester Art Gallery. (2019) Inside a weekend cabin. At: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/inside-a-weekend-cabin-204651 (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Wikipedia. (2019) Marilyn (Vanitas). At: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_(Vanitas) (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Morgan, R.C. (2019) AUDREY FLACK and the Revolution of Still Life Painting At: https://brooklynrail.org/2010/11/artseen/audrey-flack-and-the-revolution-of-still-life-painting (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Tate. (2019) All about cubism. At: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism/all-about-cubism (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Wikipedia. (2019) Audrey Flack. At: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Flack (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Pablo Picasso.org. (2019) At: https://www.pablopicasso.org/still-life-with-chair-caning.jsp (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Master works fine art. (2019) Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. At: https://www.masterworksfineart.com/blog/georges-braque-and-pablo-picasso/ (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Muscato, C. (2019) Paul Cezanne’s Still Life Paintings At: https://study.com/academy/lesson/paul-cezannes-still-life-paintings.html (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Met Museum (2019) Vanitas still life 1603. At: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436485 (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Liedtke, W. (2003) Still-Life Painting in Northern Europe, 1600–1800. At: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nstl/hd_nstl.htm (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Wikipedia. (2019) Still Life. At: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_life (Accessed 13/07/2019).

Fiore, J. (2018) In Dutch Still Lifes, Dark Secrets Hide behind Exotic Delicacies. At: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-dutch-lifes-dark-secrets-hide-exotic-delicacies/amp (Accessed 13/07/2019).