Still-life Paintings
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A small, delicate nest cradles two blue eggs, its woven twigs and fibers forming intricate textures. Painted on an aluminum panel, the surface lends a subtle luminosity to the composition. The artwork celebrates nature's quiet beauty and the fragility of new life.
About the Artist
Artist Jennifer Ross finds inspiration in gathering and replicating fragments of nature. "Birds, nests, eggs, and horses represent my realization that life embodies a tension between wanting security and the love of freedom," says Jennifer. Through her art, she aspires to convey a healing power inspired by the living world. Jennifer initially aspired to follow her mother and grandfather's artistic path but took a detour and began a decade-long career working in art galleries, selling the artwork of others, and doing framing design. Eventually, her creative soul persisted. She began experimenting with small pastel...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
1890s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Golden sunflowers stretch across the field, their broad faces turned toward the light. Their bold yellow petals radiate vibrant energy while their lush green le...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
1950s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Gouache
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
16th Century Renaissance Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1950s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1990s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Neo-Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A bird of paradise charms with its beauty. Its fiery petals contrast vividly with the lush green leaves. Inspired by her photograph taken during a stroll in S...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Encaustic
20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Modern Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Coffee
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Wood, Oil
2010s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil, Board
1960s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Late 19th Century Academic Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Late 20th Century French School Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
1910s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
1950s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
2010s Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Early 1800s Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil, Pigment
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Oil, Giclée
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Board
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
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.