Still-life Paintings
1990s Italian School Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Gouache
20th Century Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
20th Century Neo-Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Board, Oil
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Post-Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board
1960s Still-life Paintings
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Plywood
1950s Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache
1960s Still-life Paintings
Illustration Board, Egg Tempera
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1990s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board, Watercolor
1910s Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
1960s Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Tempera
1910s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Naturalistic Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor, Board
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1930s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1930s Art Deco Still-life Paintings
Pastel
1970s Surrealist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Board
1920s American Realist Still-life Paintings
Board, Oil
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1980s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
20th Century Post-War Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood
20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache
20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Early 20th Century Art Deco Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1990s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1920s Art Deco Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
1950s Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Cardboard
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
1910s Jugendstil Still-life Paintings
Paper, Crayon
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache
1940s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1950s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood
Mid-20th Century Old Masters Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Ballpoint Pen
1960s Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Masonite
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Ballpoint Pen
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.