An interesting genre within painting is the still life genre, since these paintings act quite similarly to photographs in the sense that they carefully capture and memorialize a moment in time. Whether they showcase a bowl of fruit, a vase of flowers, a cluttered room, or an animal, they show a moment in time that is often mundane and yet still beautiful.
To help celebrate this genre, we’ll discuss a few still life paintings and their artists, from Mimozy’s oil painting reproductions to works that highlight the simple things in life like soup and fruit. Remember, as you learn about and view the various paintings, we’ll describe them in detail.
While a photograph could capture the same scene in a small fraction of the time it takes to create a painting, the paintings showcase the artist’s personality and style in a way that a photograph of the same scene can not. Countless hours were poured into each petal, bowl decoration, and shadow, which is exactly what we recognize and admire about them.
Mimozy by Weingart Joachim
Weingart Joachim is an often overlooked artist who specialized in still lifes and portraits. Many of his portraits portrayed women doing various things, such as holding a vase of flowers or working on another woman or girl’s hair.Â
However, many of his still lifes have a unique style that catches your eye, such as his Still Life with Vase and Fruit painting, which is simple but filled with bright colors. It has a strange innocence to it as it may remind you of the simple drawings you made as a young child using a vibrant array of crayons.
His Mimozy painting is a bit more similar to a realism painting. The dark background color helps the colors of the flowers stand out more and showcases the beauty of nature that we try to hold in small, decorated vases in our homes.
12 Sunflowers in a Vase by Vincent van Gogh
One of the more famous still life paintings was painted by Vincent van Gogh. While this name may elicit images of some of his many other famous works, such as Starry Night or one of his many self portraits, it may also conjure images of sunflowers.
He had a few artworks that depicted sunflowers, with one of the most recognizable being 12 Sunflowers in a Vase. He made many different versions of this painting, with some showcasing a dark background to contrast the vibrant blooms and each one having a slightly different vase. The point of these was to showcase the life cycle of the flowers, from bloom to withering.
Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol
All art historians and pop art lovers will know the name Andy Warhol and may be surprised to see one collection of his works mentioned here.
However, the intent behind these pieces and the fact that they do show a time frozen in time at least warrants its mention here, even if you don’t agree to consider the Campbell’s Soup Cans panels still life artworks. Andy Warhol said that he had had the same lunch every day for twenty years and that may have been what spurred him to create and showcase his panels of nearly identical soup cans.
The only difference between each one is the occasional bright red on some cans and the words on the label. The steps depicted range from split pea and cream of chicken to vegetarian vegetable and cheddar cheese, the latter of which stands out the most with its unique yellow ribbon declaring that the soup also works as a sauce.
Pop art was commonly used to critique the commercialism of many items, such as the nearly identical packaging on certain products as Campbell’s soup cans. However, its unique and recognizable style would later betray this intent as it would be commonly used on commercial products. For example, you can now find this soup collection available as stickers and posters.
Still Life of Fish and Cat by Clara Peeters
The many works of Clara Peeters are as beautiful as they are mundane. For example, the Still Life of Fish and Cat showcases exactly what you would expect: a fish and a cat. However, if you look at each item a bit closer, you can distinguish the scales of not only the large fish in the front but also those in the back, which are a bit more difficult to see.
The shrimp have all of their long, wispy legs and feelers with each one being visible. The body of the shrimp certainly doesn’t lack detail either, as you can see the lines on their shells and their beady little eyes. As for the cat, you can not only see the intricate details of the fish it is standing on but can also view each whisker and tuft of fur.
The eyes provide a unique expression as the cat watches something we can not see from the limited scope of the painting. If you would like to hunt some of these details yourself, examine the oysters we haven’t described here to see how detailed and accurate they are.
White Ceramic Bowl With Peaches and Red and Blue Plums by Fede Galizia
The final artist we’re going to discuss today is the famed Fede Galizia, and one of her many iconic still life works. Many artists prefer to give their art unique names that describe the feelings or themes they attempted to portray or explain what the painting depicts. Many still life’s, on the other hand, have names that describe exactly what the painting depicts.
Fede Galizia, in particular, was very detailed with her titles, from Cherries in a Silver Compote With Crabapples on a Stone Ledge to White Ceramic Bowl With Peaches and Red and Blue Plums. The latter showcases exactly that with an intricately designed white ceramic bowl holding many peaches.
This centerpiece has red plums on one side and blue on the other. Fede Galizia also painted many portraits that also have long and descriptive titles, such as Judith With the Head of Holofernes.
Appreciating Some of History’s Greatest Works
Still life paintings are absolutely beautiful, sometimes mundane artworks that seek to capture a moment in time. Some showcase the beauty of life by depicting blooming flowers or ripe fruit on a dining table, while some others out there showcase the darker side of life by showcasing skulls, dead animals, and withering blooms.
While photos can do the same, the effort and time put into each painting adds a certain flair and intrigue that many photos can’t replicate—which makes them stand out in the broader art world.
Also Read: Seurat’s New Viewpoint on Pointillism
