History of Still-Life :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

History of Still-Life Flanders C16- Installed quite religious and common settings into the pieces, the extremely detailed oil on canvas works were often home to kitchen-like objects and utensils. Different foods such as cabbages, fish and hares were used especially to capture reflection from the surrounding light, thus creating a very real, almost touchable effect. Drink glasses were layered repeatedly to produce a realistic transparency; yet another method in generating such detailed realism in the piece. Dutch C17-In this period, the artists had not completely cast off and thrown away any such relation to religion; they just concentrated sorely on the idea of symbolism and reflection of light. To a modern-day viewer, the still-life would appear to be an assortment of strange objects placed on a wooden table. But to the seventeenth- century Dutch observer, the paintings conveyed the theme of vanitas: objects that symbolized the vanity of worldly things and the brevity of life. The skull and bones refer to death, the books and writing instruments to excessive pride through learning, and the fragile glass goblet of wine to temporary pleasure. A golden cup on its side would suggest immoderate wealth, and a man smoking a pipe displays idleness. The obsessive layering of oil paints by the artists was their way of creating accuracy and perfection. As modern day people have found, the pigments suspended in the oil paints, which have lasted until current years have slowly turned brown, and therefore have demanded attention in the form of cleaning. France C18-19- Adopting basically the same principle of painting, although lesser applied, Jean Simà ©on Chardin, a self taught artist situated in Paris acquired his acclaimed reputation as still life’s foremost artist. Self-taught, his thick, rather textured technique suited every middle and capital class (bourgeoisie (who made the French revolution and Impressionism)) household. Many pieces were minuscule, and all his pieces showed off his skills as an artist. Elevating to look at such as â€Å"The Jar of Apricot† and â€Å"The Ray† (1758), the depth and use of reflections were mesmerising and peaceful. Paris turn of C20-This was the phase when artists really started to adopt new styles to express there ideas. Braque, Picasso, Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse were the fore founders, innovating cubism, block colours, experimental studio time, and a different way of perceiving art by twisting the laws of perspective. Now artists would churn out many more pieces, for now, no longer would apiece take months and months to complete. Particular pieces of the above artists’ work include: â€Å"Lemons against a Fleur De Lys background† (Matisse-1943), â€Å"Still Life with a Chair Caning† (Picasso 1911-12), and â€Å"Still-life with a Plaster Cupid† (Cezanne-1895).