Still-life Paintings
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Late 17th Century Baroque Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Meringue cookies stack together, each one delectable and delightful. Their crisp exterior and rich tones come to life against the soft, yellow background. This ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Mixed Media
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil
Late 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
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 San...
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A vibrant and lovely bouquet blooms on a calming blue background. Its overall effect is both soothing and captivating. Artist Ronda Waiksnis uses palette knives...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 1900s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Symbolist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1980s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Masonite
1940s Still-life Paintings
Paint
20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
17th Century Old Masters Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Encaustic
19th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Fauvist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Ink, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Linen
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Panel
2010s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Egg Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Late 18th Century English School Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Silver, Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary 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.