Still-life Paintings
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Cotton, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1880s Academic Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Post-Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
1950s Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache
Early 2000s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Board, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Cardboard
1950s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Encaustic
1990s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Encaustic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
1980s Abstract Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Paint, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
"I confess that I almost always choose red when painting flowers," says artist Sharon Sieben. She presents vibrant blossoms within an earth-tone vase, creating ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Karen Barton displays a luscious still life of avocado halves set against a softly textured white backdrop. With skillful brushstrokes and palette knife ...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Pat Doherty serves a still-life of a chocolate sundae next to a raspberry swirl cupcake—a perfect Sunday morning treat. "I draw on my experience as a ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"Color is the most dynamic element of a flower's charm," says artist Sharon Sieben. The vivid red petals reflect the poppy's happy and intense beauty. The core ...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Alix Palo presents a vibrant floral arrangement with a soft and colorful palette. Set against a light gray background, the flowers spring to life, gracin...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Paint
2010s Abstract Geometric Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Minimalist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Permanent Marker
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
1980s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Pastel
Late 20th Century Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Ink, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Paint, Oil
2010s 85 New Wave Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Early 20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Gouache, Laid Paper
2010s Land Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Watercolor, Paper, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, 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.