Contents giving the periods covered, artists, and a representative painting also provide an over view of over 5 centuries of painting.
still life
An unusual but apparently addictive theme for still life paintings: fish, from Chardin’s ray to the performative art of William Merritt Chase.
Probably the original still life theme, and always a popular one, examples from Fantin-Latour, Bazille, van Gogh, and poignant paintings by Lovis Corinth and Charles Demuth.
A parrot, coral, snuffed-out candles, human skulls, worn-out boots, a bottle of poison and a syringe: all objects in still life paintings.
In myth and legend, apples have determined the future of civilisation twice. They’re also some of the most enduring objects to be seen in still life paintings.
From the earliest still life paintings, many were designed not just to look realistic, but to deceive the viewer. Examples from van Eyck to the 20th century.
Four centuries of paintings of tables laid up ready for the consumption of food, with several variations. From Clara Peeters to the modern burger.
A selection of paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries, including Ellen Altfest, a modern vanitas, and the fast food bodegone.
From eccentric trompes l’oeil through a laid-up meal table to the domestics of Pierre Bonnard, still life painting was very much alive in the early 20th century.
Between 1884 and his death in 1890, he painted a great many still lifes, some of which are not only among his most famous, but the most popular in Western art.
