Still-life Paintings
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Folk Art Still-life Paintings
Paper, Coffee
1980s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Copper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
1940s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Cardboard, Canvas, Oil
2010s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
1970s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Geometric Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
Artist Pat Doherty depicts a slice of raspberry mousse pie, drizzled in raspberry sauce. The pie is topped with whipped cream, bluebe...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1820s Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Chalk, Pen, Watercolor, Ink
Artist Comments
An assortment of nigiri and sushi rolls displayed on a white plate with chopsticks, placed on a green oval serving platter. "In creating my paintings, I draw on my experience as a former commercial art director and designer," says artist Pat Doherty. "I take time to balance the elements in my compositions and establish good color relationships between light and shadow."
About the Artist
Pat Doherty follows in the tradition of Bay Area artists who paint what they love. Her culinary series is a reflection of her surroundings; Pat is a third generation San Franciscan now living in Marin. The Bay Area is the perfect place to find the petit fours and decadent pastries featured in her work "Sweet Choices." Similar in subject matter to Wayne Theibaud's desserts, Pat’s unique style starts with a rich color palette and an angled picture plane to achieve depth. The subjects are often simple, but Pat takes the time to understand them and develop a mastery of light and shadow. The art has a certain humor and light-heartedness as well, especially with her series of dogs and bite-sized confections. Pat's style is inspired by her previous work in the graphic design industry, when she was the art director of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, art director of San Francisco magazine, and senior art director at a private design firm. Pat's work has been featured in American Art Collector magazine, several solo shows, including the Caffe Museo in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as well as many group shows, including frequent showings at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art.
Words that describe this painting: cuisine, sushi, dining, still life, nigiri, food, Japanese, Japan, salmon, pop art, Wayne Thiebaud, pop, cuisine, representational, oil painting, green
Sushi Plate...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"Trix is a favorite cereal for the young and old," says artist Karen Barton. The familiar wide smile of the bunny stirs joy and the sweetness of childhood memor...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1970s Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1960s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Linen, Canvas, Acrylic, Screen
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Charcoal, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-19th Century Qing Still-life Paintings
Silk, Ink, Pigment
1990s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Ink, Paper, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Enamel
Mid-20th Century American Modern Still-life Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1970s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Paint
1960s Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1990s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Conté, Paper, Gouache
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster portrays a fresh display of red and green grapes with a ripe pomegranate placed in a glass bowl. Set above a patterned table cloth, the glass reflects light and vibrant hues of pink that surrounds it. Bunches of grapes nest in the cloth's loose crease reminiscent of tiny bird eggs. The dark background highlights the scene completing the composition.
About the Artist
Artist John Jaster paints in a style he describes as realistic impressions, capturing colorful views of his adventures across the Americas. "People always ask me how I get such deep brilliant colors," says John. "The answer is layers. Since acrylic paint dries mostly transparent, it requires multiple layers of paint to build up to a specific color. With the right lighting that depth of layering is like sunshine glistening through clear water." In college, John felt a pull towards computer science and pursued a career in software architecture. Although the two paths may seem unrelated, John says his work in software strongly influences his artwork in terms of distilling complex systems without losing the magic and wonder. Today, John works from a large home studio with a fireplace, lots of natural light, and jazz playing in the background. Since 2010, John’s paintings have been displayed in over 90 juried exhibitions and published in leading art magazines and books.
Words that describe this painting: grapes, glass, bowl, pomegranate, tablecloth, still life, fruits, cloth, pop, acrylicpaint, pop, still life, acrylic painting, pink
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
1950s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Artist Comments
A happy and bright still life featuring a handful of sunflowers arranged in a white ceramic vase by artist John Jaster. The vibrant colors of green and yellow i...
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Pastel
Artist Comments
Vibrant yellow-orange sunflowers on verdant stems, rustically arranged in a small glass jar. Soft light accentuates the curling, pointed ends of the blossoms. Painted on Arches heavyweight oil primed paper, which can be framed with our without glass.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: sunflowers, floral, bouquet, flowers, still life, still life, flora, representational, oil painting, green
Little Jar...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1970s Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Shop Still-Life Paintings on 1stDibs
Still-life paintings work as part of the decor in nearly every type of space.
Still-life art, which includes work produced in media such as painting, photography, video and more, is a popular genre in Western art. However, the depiction of still life in color goes back to Ancient Egypt, where paintings on the interior walls of tombs portrayed the objects — such as food — that a person would take into the afterlife. Ancient Greek and Roman mosaics and pottery also often depicted food. Indeed, still-life paintings frequently feature food, flowers or man-made objects. By definition, still-life art represents anything that is considered inanimate.
During the Middle Ages, the still life genre was adapted by artists who illustrated religious manuscripts. A common theme of these paintings is the reminder that life is fleeting. This is especially true of vanitas, a kind of still life with roots in the Netherlands during the 17th century, which was built on themes such as death and decay and featured skulls and objects such as rotten fruit. In northern Europe during the 1600s, painters consulted botanical texts to accurately depict the flowers and plants that were the subject of their work.
Leonardo da Vinci’s penchant for observing phenomena in nature and filling notebooks with drawings and notes helped him improve as an artist of still-life paintings. Vincent van Gogh, an artist who made a couple of the most expensive paintings ever sold, carried out rich experiments with color over the course of painting hundreds of still lifes, and we can argue that Campbell’s Soup Cans (1961–62) by Andy Warhol counts as still-life art.
While early examples were primarily figurative, you can find still lifes that belong to different schools and styles of painting, such as Cubism, Impressionism and contemporary art.
As part of the wall decor in your living room, dining room or elsewhere, a still-life painting can look sophisticated alongside your well-curated decorative objects and can help set the mood in a space.
When shopping for a still-life painting, think about how it makes you feel and how the artist chose to represent its subject. When buying any art for your home, choose pieces that you connect with. If you’re shopping online, read the description of the work to learn about the artist and check the price and shipping information. Make sure that the works you choose complement or relate to your overall theme and furniture style. Artwork can either fit into your room’s color scheme or serve as an accent piece. Introduce new textures to a space by choosing an oil still-life painting.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of still-life paintings in a wide range of styles and subject matter.