Still Life

Still life has been one of artists' favorite subjects since the 17th century. Literally translated, the word means "dead nature": paintings depict fruits, flowers, tableware, or household items. Such works are not just depictions of objects but a play with form, color, and light. Still life often serves as a training ground for the mastery of conveying material: how to show porcelain, glass, or metal merely with paint?

In different eras, the genre revealed something new: the Dutch imbued symbolism — fish for wealth, flowers for the transience of life; Russian avant-garde artists experimented with the appearance of objects, disrupting familiar contours. Sometimes they staged real pranks: still lifes were painted so realistically that viewers tried to pick a lemon off the canvas! This genre remains popular among contemporary artists and collectors.