STILL LIFE

In 1667 the French classicist André Félibien set out the 4 genres of painting and graded them as follows;

1.       The depiction of human beings (far superior to all the others)

2.       Painting of living animals

3.       Landscape painting

4.       Painting of inanimate objects (what we call Still Life)

The lowly status assigned to Still Life may seem rather unjust and naturally reflects 17^th Century attitudes. It is to a degree paradoxical that now we consider Still Life a vibrant and subtle art form and a test of painterly virtuosity. Still Life subjects were enjoyed by the ancients as the 2^nd century Roman mosaic from the Vatican below demonstrates:

2nd Century AD Roman mosaic

For more than 1,000 years Still Life was then relegated to marginal illustrations of religious manuscripts and devotional art. It did not emerge as a separate art-form in itself until the 16 and 17^th century Golden Age of Netherlandish painting. The Dutch had a talent for accuracy; botanical collecting and tulip rearing were growing rapidly, later the Dutch Reformed Church outlawed religious art, so the stage was set for an explosion of Still Life. The flowers used below, for example, were often replete with symbolism.

Bouquet by Jan Brueghel the Elder (1599)

                                           

A special form of Still Life was the sub-genre Vanitas where the everyday objects were accompanied by a skull, hour-glass or other reminders of the transience of human life – creating a moral tale.

Harmen Steenwijck (1640)

The patronage of ecclesiastic princes and pious fraternities gradually faded and was replaced by educated nobility and even by an emerging middle class. In Spain pantry scenes, including food and serving-maids were popular, so called bodegón, epitomized by Velasquez’ A Woman frying eggs from the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.

A Woman frying eggs by Diego Velazquez (1618)

The 18th Century saw the Age of Rococo, when secular pleasures were celebrated. The most famous French painter of Still Life at this time was J-B Chardin, whose exquisite small works were much admired. Chardin demonstrated that changes in light, the handling of the paint stroke, choice of objects depicted, their position within the picture and selection of colour were all factors enhancing the impact of these works of art.

Popular with the Rococo audience were pictures depicting the bag of game after a day’s hunt. A favourite of Louis XV was Jean Baptiste Oudry:

Dead Game and Peaches by J_B Oudry (1727)

                                     

By the end of the 18^th century Still Life was in decline – more invidious Academic grading lists were published placing Still Life as the least worthy genre - but many famous artists persisted in this field, Delacroix, Courbet, Goya and the floral master Fantin-Latour fall into this category.

By the end of the 19^th century, partly as a revolt against the Academies but mainly in recognition of the intrinsic merits of the genre, the Impressionists and their heirs created a series of wonderful Still Life images.

Sunflowers, Van Gogh (1888)

Paul Gauguin (1889)

      

Our own times have seen an explosion of interest in the arts; animation and 3-D imaging has thrown  into confusion conventional painting techniques. Spare a generous thought for the struggling amateur Still Life artist – he or she is the successor to a great tradition.

SMD

20.07.19

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2019