An Introduction
to Still Life
History of Still Life

A Still Life is a work of art, a drawing or
painting (usually) of a group of objects.
Objects do not move, hence the word 'still'. In
the past these objects tended to be flowers,
fruit, and other kinds of food or dead animals
- hence 'life'. The French for still life is 'nature
morte', meaning 'dead nature'. You get the
idea. Nowadays, though, still life can mean
any objects small enough to be put in front of
you, usually on a table.
Egyptians
The Ancient Egyptians painted
stacks of offerings for the gods,
in temples or. Can you
recognize any of the objects?
You can see a basket of figs,
grapes, bread, a leg of beef,
duck, more meat, and a
cucumber. Quite a feast for the
gods.

There are many mosaics
of objects you can see
on the floors of villas or
in museums, and wall
paintings too especially at Pompeii
(the Roman town
covered by ash in the
eruption of Mt Vesuvius
in AD79).
Greeks and
Romans
16th and 17th Century Europe
The Ambassadors
1533, Hans Holbein the Younger
Christ at Emmaus
Caravaggio 1601
Game and Floral
Margareta Haverman, Dutch, active
by 1716, died after 1750: A Vase of
Flowers, oil on wood
Breakfast, Banquet Meals
Willem Claesz Heda (artist)
Clara Peeters: Still-life with Flowers,
Dutch, 1593/1594 - 1680
Goblet, Dried Fruit and Pretzels, oil on
Banquet Piece with Mince Pie, 1635
panel
Dutch Vanitas Still Life
Vanitas Still Life 1603
Vqnitas Still Life with Portrait David Bailly
Trompe l’Oeil
A French term literally meaning "trick
the eye." Sometimes called illusionism,
it's a style of painting which gives the
appearance of three-dimensional, or
photographic realism.
John F. Peto: Office Board, oil on
canvas, 24 3/8 x 19 7/8 in. 1885
Samuel van Hoogstraten (Dutch, 16271678), Trompe-l'oeil, 1664
19th and 20th Century
A move towards abstraction
12 Sunflowers in a Vase
1888
Van Gogh
Paul Cézanne: Still-life with Bowl of Fruit,
oil on canvas, 1893–4
Georges Braque: Candlestick
Picasso
Still Life with Fruit Dish on a Table (1914- and Playing Cards on a Table,
oil on canvas,
1915)
Photorealism
Audrey Flack
STILL LIFE
HISTORY AND
DRAWING
Value to Form
Tonal
Shading with pressure
Stippling
Shading with dots
Hatching
Shading with one type
of line
Cross-hatching
Contour Line
 Describes
subject
the interior and exterior of the
Blind Contour
 Rules:
can’t pick up your pencil, can’t
look at your paper
 Why? To learn how to draw what you
actually see! Also helps with hand/eye
coordination
Perspective
The Process