Satsuma Mandarins
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his
Oil
Antique Lure
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his wife, contemporary artist
Oil
Studio Wall
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his wife, contemporary artist
Oil, Wood Panel
Pomegranates
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his wife, contemporary artist Karine Falleni, son, and hound
Oil, Panel
Garlic and Copper
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his
Linen, Oil
Antique Lure
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of
Oil, Panel
Le Pipe
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Central Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now
Oil, Panel
Apple Picking Season
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of painting throughout
Oil
Radishes III
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of
Oil, Panel
Four Views of a Pink Rose
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
LaRock, Scott Waddell, and Colleen Barry at Grand Central Atelier. Following the completion of his
Oil, Canvas, Panel
"Girl in a Black Dress II" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
and discovered the work of core faculty member Colleen Barry. In 2019 he was accepted into the program
Linen, Oil, Panel
"Stag" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
and discovered the work of core faculty member Colleen Barry. In 2019 he was accepted into the program
Linen, Oil, Panel
"Merida" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
heard about the Grand Central Atelier in New York and discovered the work of core faculty member Colleen
Oil, Panel
Three Peonies I
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Minoff, Joshua LaRock, Scott Waddell, and Colleen Barry at Grand Central Atelier. Following the
Oil
Figs
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. He lives in Long Island with his
Oil
Still Life with Blueberries
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of
Oil, Panel
Quail Eggs
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Central Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now
Oil, Panel
Radishes I
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in
Oil, Panel
North Fork Oysters
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of painting throughout
Oil, Panel
Le Pot de Confiture
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Central Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now
Oil, Panel
Le Romaine
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in
Oil, Panel
Les Poires
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of painting throughout
Oil, Panel
Cocktail Hour
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in France and is in high demand as a teacher of
Oil, Panel
Studio Wall
By Dale Zinkowski
Located in Wenham, MA
Atelier studying under Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John and Colleen Barry. Dale now lives in
Oil, Panel
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.