Still Life Painting Might Be For You

by: Lauren Henry

If you're new to the hobby of painting, still life painting might be the style for you to consider. It can be as easy or as challenging as you want it to be.

Here's a little background on this art form.As with many things in life, art movements and styles come in and out of fashion. Art critics don't consider Still Life painting trendy at the present time but it remains an influential form of art.

It remains popular with the public and many amateur artists find this sort of art to be useful in learning composition and perspective. It can be a real challenge for artists to get models or the right light to paint landscapes. Setting up inanimate objects is convenient by comparison.

Common subjects to be painted are vases of flowers, dishes of fruit or a bottle of wine and a platter of meat and cheese. This form of painting may sometimes have a hunting or fishing theme.

It became a popular form of art in the West, beginning in the 17th century - especially in Italy, France and Holland. Dutch artists were especially skillful in this art form, as they were prevented from painting religious iconography.

The 19th century was a golden age for artists who wanted to experiment with Still Life painting. Traditionalists may have been horrified at the time, but the artists who pushed the boundaries with color and form were to greatly inspire future generations.

It seems fairly tame to modern gallery visitors today, but the work of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists shocked both the public and critics when they were first exhibited.

Arguably, the most famous Still Life painting in history is "Sunflowers," painted by Vincent Van Gogh. He used bold color and broad brushwork to create this masterpiece.

Unfortunately, he never achieved success in his lifetime, but his "Sunflowers" painting would later set new records when it was sold at auction. The artist Paul Cézanne is considered by some to be the Godfather of modern art. His unique still life's distorted perspective to suit his artistic vision.

These earlier artists laid the groundwork for what would be known as Cubism. Invented by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, this way of looking at the world through geometry often used Still Life painting as a means of expression.

Juan Gris was another innovator of the form. Again, purists threw their arms up in disbelief as the style underwent another make over.

The Pop Artists of the 1960s also took to the form, resulting in cultural landmarks such as Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans". Artists painted Coca Cola bottles and other everyday items, arguing that it was no different from an Old Master depicting a bottle of wine."

Still life painting is a fun way of expressing yourself. You can search online for some of the great works to gain inspiration. Who knows, you may end up taking this form of art in a whole new direction.

Lauren Henry is married with no children yet. She collects art and enjoys painting whenever she can.