New in Still-life Paintings
20th Century Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 20th Century Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century English School New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
20th Century American Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
1930s Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Gouache
1940s Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Baroque New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Wood, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Oil
1930s American Modern New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1920s American Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Board, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Linen
2010s Post-Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Encaustic
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Expressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
17th Century Old Masters New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Gouache, Spray Paint
18th Century and Earlier Dutch School New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Late 17th Century Dutch School New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Realist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Baroque New in Still-life Paintings
Wood, Oil, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist New in Still-life Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Early 1900s Fauvist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Wood, Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Panel, Oil, Archival Paper
2010s Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Panel, Oil, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Impressionist New in Still-life Paintings
Panel, Oil, Archival Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Masonite
17th Century Old Masters New in Still-life Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Surrealist New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Symbolist New in Still-life Paintings
Ink, Bamboo Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Folk Art New in Still-life Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary New in Still-life Paintings
Oil, Panel
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.