Even people inexperienced in painting have an idea of what still lifes look like. These are paintings that depict compositions from any household items or flowers. However, not everyone knows how this word is translated - still life. Now we will tell you about this and many other things related to this genre.
Origin of the word "still life"
So, the expression nature morte came into Russian, of course, from French. As you can see, it is divided into two parts - “nature” and “morte”, which are translated respectively as “nature, nature, life” and “dead, quiet, motionless”. Now we put the two parts together and we get the familiar word “still life”.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude that still lifes are a genre easel painting, the artist’s depiction on canvas of a frozen, motionless nature. True, sometimes masters of still life complement their paintings with living creatures - butterflies, caterpillars, spiders and bugs, and even birds. But the exception only confirms the basic rule.
Formation of the genre
The history of still life goes back almost 600 years. Until the 16th century It never occurred to anyone that it was possible to paint some inanimate objects, even very beautiful ones. Still life paintings simply did not exist in those days. In the Middle Ages, painting was entirely dedicated to God, the church and man. Artists painted pictures on religious subjects, and portraits were also held in high esteem. Even the landscape acted only as an addition.
But still, some elements of still life were found already in the 15th century Dutch painters. Their paintings with traditional religious or mythological content, as well as their portraits, contain images of carefully painted flower garlands, books, dishes and even human skulls. A couple of centuries will pass, and the whole world will admire the creations of the so-called Little Dutchmen - masters of still life painting.
However, its separation into an independent genre fine arts Still life owes nothing to the Dutch, but to the French. People like Francois Deporte, Monnoyer and Jean-Baptiste Oudry formulated the basic principles of “object” painting, formed its basic concept and showed the general public all the beauty and charm of still life.
The era of the Little Dutch - the heyday of still life painting
So, let's try to rewind a few centuries ago in order to understand who the Little Dutch are and why, when it comes to classical still life, they are always remembered. The first Dutch still lifes are the creations of painters who lived in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Small Dutch - this is the common name for a school of painting and a community of artists who created small-sized everyday paintings. Of course, they painted not only still lifes.
Among them were many landscape painters and masters genre painting. Their canvases were not intended for palaces and churches at all, but for decorating the homes of ordinary citizens. At that time, about 3 thousand artists lived in little Holland, and all of them were distinguished by their enormous capacity for work and the ability to transfer beauty well to canvas. everyday world. Subsequently, art historians would call this time the Dutch Renaissance. It was then that the still life genre became widespread.
The best Dutch still lifes
On the beautiful displays, various things are laid out in front of the audience. kitchen utensils, fruits, luxurious flowers, household items. Floral still lifes were very popular. This was partly due to the fact that in the Netherlands from time immemorial there has been a cult of flowers and gardening. One of the most prominent representatives of Dutch still life painting of the 17th century. were artists Jan Davids de Hem, as well as his son Cornelis de Hem.
Their paintings gained popularity and fame largely due to the fact that they skillfully knew how to depict flowers and fruits. Careful attention to detail, coupled with a sophisticated color scheme and ideally constructed composition, made their paintings incomparable. These artists painted luxurious flower bouquets standing in beautiful vases, next to which butterflies fluttered; garlands of fruits; transparent glasses filled with wine; dishes with grapes and other fruits; musical instruments etc. Famous still lifes of father and son amaze with their realism, subtle rendering of the play of light and exquisite coloring.
Still life in impressionist painting
The French impressionists, as well as post-impressionists, paid much attention to the genre of still life. Naturally, their style of painting differed sharply from the realistic sophistication of the Little Dutchmen, because the impressionists were not attracted to classical painting. Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Van Gogh - all these artists loved to paint flowers and plants, because both are part of nature, the beauty of which they sang all their lives.
Auguste Renoir painted a whole gallery of beautiful airy still lifes during his life. Sometimes the image of a “frozen nature” is required by the impressionists only as a supplement. For example, in the painting “Lunch on the Grass” by Edouard Manet, in the foreground you can see a magnificent still life of scattered clothes, fruits and food scattered on the grass. Van Gogh painted many unusual still lifes. Many people know his paintings “Sunflowers” or “Irises”, but he also has such canvases as “Van Gogh’s Chair” - all of these are also examples of still life painting.
Russian still life
It is surprising that in Russia still life as a separate genre was not in demand for a long time, since it was considered almost the lowest of all types of fine art, which does not require either fundamental knowledge or special skills in painting. Only in the second half of the 19th century. Russian Peredvizhniki were able to arouse interest in this genre of art among the Russian public.
Subsequently, many Russian painters became interested in still life painting. Still lifes famous artists such as Igor Grabar, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Ivan Khrutskoy can be seen in the halls Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum, Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin in Moscow, as well as in the Hermitage. But the real flowering of still life painting occurred in our country during the era of socialism.
Photo still life
With the advent of photography, another genre appeared in the world of art: still life photography. Today, many people are passionate about creating photographic masterpieces. Some photographs simply amaze with their perfection and skill of the photographer. Sometimes, with the help of a camera, talented photographers manage to photograph still lifes that are in no way inferior to the most famous creations of the Little Dutchmen.
In order to start drawing a still life, you must first compose it from some objects. For your first experiments in still life painting, it is better not to make complex compositions; a couple of objects will be enough.
Next, we draw a still life step by step. First you need to make a drawing with pencil or charcoal. Then follows a light underpainting, revealing the main colors and shadows of the composition, and only then you can proceed directly to drawing the details.
Still life in painting is an image of static inanimate objects combined into a single ensemble. Still life can be presented as an independent painting, but sometimes becomes part of the composition genre scene or the whole picture.
What is still life?
Such painting is expressed in a person’s subjective attitude to the world. This shows the master’s inherent understanding of beauty, which becomes the embodiment of social values and the aesthetic ideal of the time. Still life in painting gradually transformed into a separate significant genre. This process took hundreds of years, and each new generation of artists understood canvases and colors according to the trends of the era.
The role of still life in the composition of a painting is never limited to simple information, a random addition to the main content. Depending on historical conditions and social demands, objects can take a more or less active part in creating a composition or an individual image, obscuring one or another goal. Still life in painting as an independent genre is designed to reliably convey the beauty of things that surround a person every day.
Sometimes a separate detail or element suddenly acquires deep meaning, receives its own meaning and sound.
Story
As an old and revered genre, still life painting has seen its ups and downs. Severe, ascetic and minimalistic helped to create immortal, monumental, generalized, sublimely heroic images. Sculptors enjoyed depicting individual objects with extraordinary expressiveness. Types of still life in painting and all sorts of classifications arose during the formation of art criticism, although canvases existed long before the first textbook was written.
Iconographic traditions and still lifes
In ancient Russian icon painting, a big role was played by those few things that the artist dared to introduce into the strict laconicism of canonical works. They contribute to the manifestation of everything immediate and demonstrate the expression of feelings in work devoted to an abstract or mythological subject.
Types of still life in painting exist separately from icon paintings, although the strict canon does not prohibit the depiction of some objects inherent in the genre.
Renaissance still life
However, works of the 15th-16th centuries play a major role during the Renaissance. The painter first drew attention to the world around him and sought to determine the meaning of each element in the service of humanity.
Modern painting and still life as a popular and beloved genre originated in the Tricento period. Everyday objects acquired a certain nobility and significance of the owner whom they served. On large canvases, a still life, as a rule, looks very modest and discreet - a glass jar of water, silver in an elegant vase or delicate lilies on thin stems often huddled in a dark corner of the picture, like poor and forgotten relatives.
Nevertheless, there was so much love in the image of beautiful and close things in poetic form that modern painting, still life and its role in it were already timidly visible through the gaps of landscapes and the heavy curtains of genre scenes.
The turning point
Subjects gained a real element in paintings and new meaning in the 17th century - an era when still life with flowers was prevalent and dominant. Paintings of this kind gained numerous fans among the nobility and clergy. In complex compositions with pronounced literary storyline scenes got their place along with the main characters. Analyzing the works of the era, it is easy to notice that the important role of still life was similarly manifested in literature, theater and sculpture. Things began to “act” and “live” in these works - they were shown as the main characters, demonstrating the best and most advantageous aspects of objects.
Objects of art made by hardworking and talented craftsmen bear the personal imprint of the thoughts, desires, and inclinations of a particular person. painting is the best psychological tests help to track the psycho-emotional state and achieve internal harmony and integrity.
Things faithfully serve a person, taking over his delight in everyday objects and inspiring their owners to acquire new beautiful, elegant little things.
Flemish Renaissance
People did not immediately accept gouache painting and still life as a genre. The history of the emergence, development and widespread implementation of various ideas and principles serves as a reminder of constant development thoughts. Still life became famous and fashionable in the mid-17th century. The genre began in the Netherlands, bright and festive Flanders, where nature itself invites beauty and fun.
Gouache painting and still life flourished in a time of tremendous change, a complete change in political, social and religious institutions.
Flanders Current
The bourgeois direction of development in Flanders became a novelty and progress for the whole of Europe. Changes in political life led to similar innovations in culture - the horizons that opened up for artists were no longer limited by religious prohibitions and were not supported by relevant traditions.
Still life became the flagship of a new art that glorified everything natural, bright and beautiful. The strict canons of Catholicism no longer restrained the flight of imagination and curiosity of painters, and therefore, along with art, science and technology began to develop.
Ordinary everyday things and objects, previously considered base and unworthy of mention, suddenly rose to the level of objects of close study. Decorative painting, still life and landscapes have become a real mirror of life - everyday routine, diet, culture, ideas about beauty.
Genre properties
It was from here, from a conscious, in-depth study of the surrounding world, that separate genre household painting, landscape, still life.
Art, which acquired certain canons in the 17th century, determined the main quality of the genre. A painting dedicated to the world of things describes the basic properties inherent in the objects that surround a person, shows the attitude of the master and his hypothetical contemporary to what is shown, expresses the nature and completeness of knowledge about reality. The artist necessarily conveyed the material existence of things, their volume, weight, textures, colors, the functional purpose of household items and their vital connection with human activity.
Tasks and problems of still life
Decorative painting, still life and everyday scenes absorbed the new trends of the era - a departure from the canons and the simultaneous preservation of the conservative naturalism of the image.
Still life of the revolutionary era during the complete victory of the bourgeoisie reflects the artist’s respect for the new forms of national life of his compatriots, respect for the work of simple artisans, and admiration for beautiful images of beauty.
The problems and tasks of the genre as a whole, formulated in the 17th century, were not discussed in European schools until the mid-19th century. Meanwhile, artists constantly set themselves new and new tasks, and did not continue to mechanically reproduce ready-made compositional solutions and color schemes.
Modern canvases
Photos of still lifes for painting, prepared in modern studios, clearly demonstrate the difference between the perception of the world by a contemporary and a person of the Middle Ages. The dynamics of objects today exceeds all conceivable limits, and the static nature of objects was the norm for that time. The color combinations of the 17th century are distinguished by their brightness and purity of color. Rich shades fit harmoniously into the composition and emphasize the artist’s intentions and ideas. The absence of any canons in the best possible way influenced still lifes of the 20th and 21st centuries, sometimes striking the imagination with their ugliness or deliberate variegation.
Methods for solving still life problems change rapidly every decade; methods and techniques do not keep up with the imagination of recognized and not so recognized masters.
The value of today's paintings lies in the expression of reality through the eyes of contemporary artists; through embodiment on canvas, new worlds emerge that will be able to tell a lot about their creators to the people of the future.
Impressionist influence
The next milestone in the history of still lifes was impressionism. The entire evolution of the direction was reflected in the compositions through colors, technique and understanding of space. The last romantics of the millennium transferred life as it is to canvas - quick, bright strokes and expressive details became the cornerstones of the style.
Painting, still lifes contemporary artists certainly bear the imprint of their impressionist inspirations through color, methods and techniques of depiction.
A departure from the standard canons of classicism - three plans, a central composition and historical heroes- allowed artists to develop their own perception of color and light, as well as to clearly and clearly demonstrate the free flight of emotions to the audience.
The main tasks of the impressionists are to change the painting technique and the psychological content of the picture. And today, even knowing the situation of that era, it is difficult to find the correct answer to the question of why impressionist landscapes, as joyful and ingenuous as poetry, evoked sharp rejection and rude ridicule from picky critics and the enlightened public.
Impressionist painting did not fit into the generally accepted framework, so still lifes and landscapes were perceived as something vulgar, unworthy of recognition along with other waste of high art.
The art exhibition, which became a kind of missionary activity for famous artists of that time, was able to reach hearts and demonstrate the beauty and grace. Images of objects and objects by all available means became commonplace even within the walls of formidable institutions that professed only the principles of classical art. The triumphal procession of still life paintings has not stopped since the end of the 19th century, and the variety of genres and techniques today allows one not to be afraid of any experiments with color, textures and materials.
Attitude to still life in different eras changed, sometimes it was practically forgotten, and sometimes it was the most popular genre of painting. As an independent genre of painting, it appeared in the works of Dutch artists in the 17th century. In Russia, for a long time, still life was treated as an inferior genre, and only at the beginning of the 20th century did it become a full-fledged genre. Over a four-century history, artists have created a great deal large number still lifes, but even among this number we can distinguish the most famous and significant works for the genre.
“Still Life with Ham and Silverware” (1649) by Willem Claes Heda (1594-1682).
The Dutch artist was a recognized master of still life, but it is this painting that stands out in his work. Heda's virtuoso skill in conveying is noticeable here. everyday items everyday life - a feeling of the reality of each of them is created. On the table, covered with a rich tablecloth, stands an amber lemon, a piece of fresh ham and silverware. Tomorrow has just finished, so there is a slight mess on the table, which makes the picture even more real. Like most Dutch still lifes of this period, here each item carries some kind of semantic load. So, silverware speaks of earthly wealth, ham denotes sensual joys, and lemon - external beauty, hiding inner bitterness. Through these symbols, the artist reminds us that we should think more about the soul, and not just about the body. The painting is made in a single brown-gray color scheme, characteristic of the entire Dutch painting this era. In addition to the obvious decorativeness, this still life also talks about the invisible “ quiet life» objects, which was noticed by the attentive eye of the artist.
“Peaches and Pears” (1895) Paul Cézanne (1830-1906).
The still life genre has always been very conservative. Therefore, almost until the beginning of the 20th century, it looked the same as in the 17th century. Until Paul Cezanne took it up. He believed that painting should objectively convey reality, and paintings should be based on the laws of nature. Cezanne sought to convey not the changeable, but the constant qualities of an object, through the synthesis of form and color, the unification of form and space. And the genre of still life became an excellent object for these experiments. Each of the objects in the still life “Peaches and Pears” is depicted with different angles vision. So we see the table from above, the fruit and tablecloth from the side, a small table from below, and the jug from different sides at the same time. Cezanne tries to convey the shape and volume of peaches and pears as accurately as possible. To do this, he uses optical laws, so warm shades (red, pink, yellow, golden) are perceived by us as protruding, and cold shades (blue, indigo, green) - receding into the depths. Therefore, the shape of objects in his still lifes does not depend on lighting, but is made constant. This is why Cezanne's works look monumental.
"The Blue Tablecloth" (1909) Henri Matisse (1869-1954).
About some iconic artists who created paintings in the still life genre.
Introduction
The term "still life" is used to define paintings depicting inanimate objects (from the Latin "dead nature"). Moreover, objects can be either of natural origin (fruits, flowers, dead animals and insects, skulls, etc.) or created by man (various utensils, watches, books and scrolls of paper, jewelry, and so on). Often, a still life includes some hidden subtext conveyed through a symbolic image. Works of an allegorical nature belong to the vanitas subgenre.
Still life as a genre received greatest development in Holland in the 17th century as a way of protesting against the official church and imposing religious art. In the subsequent history of painting, the works of the Dutch of that time (Utrech, Leiden, Delft and others) had a huge influence on the development of art: composition, perspective, the use of symbolism as an element of storytelling. Despite its significance and interest from the public, according to the art academies, still life occupied a place in the general hierarchy of genres last place.
Rachel Ruysch
Ruysch is one of the most famous Dutch realists and authors of still life. The compositions of this artist contain a lot of symbolism, various moral and religious messages. Her signature style is a combination of a dark background, meticulous detailing, delicate coloring and the depiction of additional elements that add interest (insects, birds, reptiles, crystal vases).
Harmen van Steenwijk
The works of this Dutch realist perfectly demonstrate still lifes in the vanitas style, illustrating the bustle of earthly life. One of the most famous paintings is "Allegory of Vanity" human life", which shows a human skull in the rays sunlight. Various objects in the composition refer to the ideas of the inevitability of physical death. The detail and level of realism in Steenwijk's paintings is achieved through the use of fine brushes and paint application techniques.
Paul Cezanne
Known for his landscapes, portraits and genre works, Cézanne also contributed to the development of still life. After interest in impressionism disappeared, the artist began to explore fruits and natural objects, experiment with three-dimensional figures. These studies helped to create perspective and volume in still lifes not only through classical methods, but also through the masterful use of color. All directions considered by Cézanne were later further studied by Georges Braque and Picasso in the development of analytical cubism. In pursuit of the goal of creating something “permanent,” the artist preferred to paint the same objects, and the incredibly long process of creating a still life led to the fact that fruits and vegetables began to rot and decompose long before the painting was completed.
Hem
A student of David Bailly, the Dutch realist Hem is known for his magnificent still lifes with a large number of details, loaded with compositions, an abundance of insects and other decorative and symbolic elements. Often the artist used religious motifs in his works, like Jan Brueghel and Federico Borromeo.
Jean Baptiste Chardin
The son of a carpenter, Jean Chardin acquired his hard work and craving for order precisely thanks to his father. The master’s paintings are often calm and sober, because he strove for harmony of tone, color and form, largely achieved through working with lighting and contrasts. The desire for cleanliness and order is also expressed in the absence of allegories in the compositions.
Frans Snyders
The Baroque painter of still lifes and animal scenes was an incredibly prolific artist, and his ability to depict the texture of leather, fur, glass, metal and other materials was unsurpassed. Snyders was also an outstanding animal painter, often depicting dead animals in his still lifes. He later became the official painter of Archduke Albert of Austria, which resulted in the creation of more more masterpieces.
Francisco de Zurbaran
Zurbaran - a famous author of paintings on religious themes - is one of the greatest creators of still lifes. Colored in the strict Spanish tradition, his work has a timeless quality and impeccable simplicity. As a rule, they present a small number of objects against a dark background.
Conor Walton
Among contemporary authors, Conor Walton deserves attention. Contribution Irish artist the development of still life can be clearly seen in the works “Hidden: Oranges and Lemons” (2008), “Still Life with Large Orchids” (2004). The artist's work is precise and made with exceptional use of light to help convey the textures of various surfaces.
The best still lifes updated: November 14, 2017 by: Gleb
What is still life?
Still life is a genre of painting that depicts inanimate nature. The genre originated in the 17th century.
Still life is, first of all, surprising and interesting because it makes people see beauty and harmony in everyday, boring things that constantly surround us, but do not attract our attention.
The genre is not as simple as it seems at first glance: in most of these paintings, artists use allegory - they try to tell people something important through a certain set of objects, their arrangement, chosen colors, general composition, convey what worries them, tell about their feelings and thoughts.
Despite the gloomy translation "dead nature", the canvases are often colorful bright colors, delight the viewer with their originality and quirkiness, awaken the desire to live and admire the world around them, to see the beauty in it.
There are many types and subtypes of still life, for example, plot-thematic, creative, educational-creative, educational. They are also divided according to the colors used, illumination, coloring, execution time, location, etc.
The founders of still life as an independent genre were the Dutch and Flemish artists. Initially, the paintings appeared in religious use. Also in the era of the birth of the genre, paintings of a dark nature with deep philosophical meaning and dark tones, in the center of the composition, which included skulls, candles and some other attributes. Then, gradually developing, the genre absorbed more and more new directions and over and over again became more widespread in all circles of society. Flowers, books, vegetables and fruits, seafood, dishes and other household items - everything is reflected in art. Some of the most famous still life artists were Ambrosius Buschaert, Miguel Parra, Jan Brueghel, Joseph Launer, Severin Rosen, Edward Ladell, Jan Davids de Heem, Willem van Aalst, Cornelis Briese.
In Russia, the genre arose at the beginning of the 18th century, but no one seriously studied it; it was considered a “lower” genre. At the beginning of the 20th century, still life painting reached its greatest flourishing; artists created their masterpieces, set new goals for themselves and reached untold peaks in skill, used unusual techniques, selected new images. Russian still life, unlike Western ones, did not develop gradually, but at an accelerated pace. Working in this genre, such Russian artists as K. Petrov-Vodkin, I. Levitan, I.F. became famous. Khrutsky, V. Nesterenko, I.E. Grabar, M. Saryan, A. Osmerkin, P.P. Konchalovsky, S.E. Zakharov, S.I. Osipov and many others.
IN modern painting still life is undergoing a new rise and now firmly occupies its rightful place among other genres of fine art. Now this is one of the most popular areas in painting. Having huge amount opportunities for self-realization in creativity, artists paint a wide variety of still lifes. And viewers, in turn, buy paintings, decorate their interiors with them, enlivening their home and bringing comfort and joy into it. Museums are constantly being replenished with still lifes, more and more new exhibitions are opening in various cities and countries, which attract crowds of spectators interested in art. Several centuries later, having gone through a long, full-fledged path of development, still life is still relevant and has not lost its significance in world painting.