Vladimir Porcelain Flowers

Nicolai Cikovsky arrived in New York in 1923 with impressive academic credentials, having studied in his native Russia at the Vilna Art School, Penza Royal Art School, and Moscow Higher Technical Art Institute. He quickly gained representation with the Charles Daniels Gallery, which exhibited only the most promising modern artists. Best known for his landscapes—especially of Long Island—and figurative works, Cikovsky was lauded for his ability to infuse his canvases with mood, capturing a spirit of place. Cikovsky's works were featured—and often won prizes—in some of the most important exhibitions of the day, including the 1926 International Exhibition of Modern Art at the Brooklyn Museum, National Academy of Design and Art Institute of Chicago annuals, and the New York World's Fair. Other exhibition venues include New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Carnegie Institute, among many others. He was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the Society of Painter, Sculptors, and Engravers. In addition to his painting, Cikovsky served as an instructor at the Cincinnati Art Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, Art Students League, and Corcoran School of Art.

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.