Still-life Paintings
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Carey Parks depicts a blooming hydrangea plant. The soft background brings out the delicate pink petals and vibrant green leaves. Carey selects the flowe...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Ballpoint Pen
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Cubist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
Early 1900s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Carey Parks portrays blooming hydrangeas from her garden. Set against a soft lilac background, the cluster of petals burst with rich pigments of magentas...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
19th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1960s Surrealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Pencil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Gouache
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Gouache
2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
1970s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Silver
Late 20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Monoprint
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
Splash and drips of paint represent nature in this abstract floral landscape. It features neutral colors of taupe, white, and yellow, with pops of red. The artw...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Analytic Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Ink, Sumi Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Pastel
1960s Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
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.