Still-life Paintings
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Conceptual Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A small white flower contrasts against a calming purple background, exuding a whimsical charm. It emits an ethereal beauty, with the petals appearing to glow so...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A lone white flower blossoms against a soothing purple background. Its simple depiction captures its ethereal beauty. This painting is part of a series of four....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
1930s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
1950s Cubist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Photorealist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Linen
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Cubist Still-life Paintings
Oil Pastel, Ink, Sumi Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
20th Century Abstract Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Paper, Oil
Artist Comments
A floral bouquet bursts with vibrant purple, yellow, and green hues, creating a refreshing contrast. The neutral background imbues the painting with serenity an...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Deep magenta, blush, and lush greens cascade in this abstract floral painting. The vibrancy of the flowers stands out against the neutral background, creating a...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
1960s Cubist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century Victorian Still-life Paintings
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
In a dimly lit room, a trumpet rests on a piano keyboard. The overhead light casts a brilliant glow, reflecting off the brass instrument and cutting sharp shado...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Still-life Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 1900s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Against a soft purple-gray background, a small white flower displays its delicate charm. Its presence whispers of joy and brightness. This piece is part of a se...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Scrapes of white paint hint at the form of a flower with a yellow core. Accents of purple and green add bursts of color to the composition. This artwork is part...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Realist Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
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.