Still-life Paintings
Late 20th Century Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Wood, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A blueberry ice cream cone with chocolate syrup and confetti sprinkles awaits indulgence before it melts. Against the vibrant background, the dessert reveals it...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Placed on a pale yellow table, an unwrapped chocolate cupcake topped with swirl mint frosting and sprinkle entices with its delectable appeal. Subtle details an...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
A mouthwatering strawberry swirl ice cream with rainbow sprinkles is a perfect afternoon treat, boasting delectable texture, colors, and flavor. The careful bal...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
This still-life oil painting presents satsuma mandarins on a wooden surface. The rendering of light and shadow makes the fruits' shape and the leaves crisp text...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Two plump strawberries command attention with their vibrant red hues and lush green crowns. The light reveals their glossy surface, while the shadow adds depth ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Artist Comments
A stack of delectable French macarons takes center stage in this whimsical still-life painting. The texture and rich tones of the cookies come to life against a...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1980s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Gold Leaf
1980s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Pigment
Artist Comments
This still-life painting depicts white roses arranged in a brass vase, with a pink one at the bottom. The earth-toned palette and thick bravura brushstrokes imp...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A raspberry swirl cupcake, topped with mint and blueberry, serves as a creamy delight in this still-life painting. The vibrant frosting and garnish stand out ag...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A ripe mango on a wooden slab is set against a dark background, enhancing its luminosity. The skillful use of light and shadow adds a dramatic dimension to the ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
This still-life painting portrays a pomegranate with its beautiful crown. Light delicately reflects on its skin and leaves the other side in subtle shadow, enti...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Two lemons and a vase of dainty flowers glow under the gentle radiance of the sun, exuding timeless charm. Muted pinks and blues contrast with the vivid yellows...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Archival Paper, Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Paper
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting, topped with marzipan, serves as a delightful treat in this still-life painting. Artist Pat Doherty draws inspiratio...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Screen, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Screen, Paper
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.