Still Life Art

The reason so many people are still choosing to buy still life paintings for their homes to add to a growing art collection or as a special occasion gift is partly due to the incredible array of topics available in this popular genre. It’s naturally evocative and emotive, able to bring to life a favourite place or memory with just a glance. 

From succulent fruits, the result of a day’s fishing or a vase filled with vibrant wildflowers, still life paintings refer to any material object that is motionless and means that the artist is free to capture their essence in their own unique style. 

From realism to abstract, you can buy still life paintings in a variety of styles to suit your personal preference and are sure to find a piece that appeals to you thanks to our relationships with the best up and coming talent currently making a name for themselves in the world of still life art. 

For those seeking still life painting for sale without the high price tag, our collection of pieces from new artists offers the opportunity to buy still life painting direct from the creator at an affordable and accessible price.

With still life paintings for sale available to suit all tastes and budgets, take the time to enjoy our current collection and buy still life paintings with complete confidence from our website for fast, professional artwork shipping courtesy of our specialist courier team. 

A timeless genre popularised in France in the seventeenth century, still life paintings are often used by artists to comment on the briefness of human existence and worldly pleasures. There are many famous pieces from the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Paul Cézanne which are easily recognisable by art lovers to this day. 

Historians suggest that the first still life painting was created in 1504 by an artist named Jacopo de’Barbari. Since that time, it’s fair to say that very little has changed in principle about this wide ranging genre, with the focus on colour and texture still vitally important. 

Many still life paintings feature objects around the home. Spanish artists coined the term bodegón, which focuses on pantry items such as fruits, vegetables or drinking vessels shown in the kitchen. Still life art tends to be very carefully composed, with the deceptively simple subject allowing the artists to show off their level of skill and mastery.  You’ll usually notice an area of empty space, with the careful addition of elements such as flowers to add texture or a sense of scale to the subject. 

Still life paintings often feature inanimate objects such as fruit, flowers, food and everyday items as their subjects.  Although it’s origins date back to the Middle Ages and Ancient Graeco-Roman times, it wasn’t until the late 16th century that it became popular in Western painting, though is has remained prominent ever since. Famous still life artists include Paul Cezanne (1839 – 1906), Willem Kalf  (1622 – 1693) and Jean-Simeon Chardin (1699-1779).

As a genre, still life has provided artists with the opportunity to explore their relationship with the world and the different objects around them. What is notable is that the inanimate objects featured in still life artwork have changed over time, as the world has evolved. For example, today’s still life artists can feature products that most certainly would not have been invented in Kalf or even Cezanne’s day.

One of the differences between still life paintings and other art forms e.g. landscapes, is that still life gives artists more freedom to arrange the subjects and create their composition.

Today it is common for artists to used mixed media to create still life artwork such as photography, computer graphics, video and sound. The art form is widely appreciated and remains a popular choice with art lovers of all ages.