Demystifying Art: Still Life

Demystifying Art:
Still Life:

"Still Life" is one of those art terms that could lead to confusion. After all, how can life be utterly still...?

All it really means is art depicting inanimate objects, either man-made items or objects from nature, such as these citrus fruits, or other food. Oddly, it includes fish or animals that are about to be prepared for cooking, but not ones that are still alive.

So why do artists create still life pieces...?
For a number of reasons:

🎨 to develop their skills, particularly in depicting 3d objects, like these oranges, on a 2d plane such as a piece of paper or a canvas, so the objects look solid, like they have a form you could pick up.

🎨 to learn to see better, to really observe what they paint or draw and record that information, rather than what they think the orange should look like.

🎨 to show off their skills, once they have gained them, demonstrating how they can really make that painting of an orange somehow really look like an orange, so you want to pick it up out of the painting, peel it and enjoy it's sweetness.

🎨 to suggest a new way to see things around us. So, of these oranges, saying:
"Have you seen how plump and juicy they are, how they are really something we can savour, that can transport us for a few moments to a wonderful place of zesty smells, sweet and sharp tastes and the oil on our skin making the uneven peel feel so unique? Have an orange!"

🎨 to say a little about something much bigger, maybe something transcendental or spiritual even, like:
"Now you can see how wonderful an orange is, can't you see how glorious life itself is! I know it can be tough going at times, but when a simple orange can be this much of a delight to the senses, how amazing is life itself!

So, enjoy life! Have an orange!

Thanks!
Sam aka LymphomaLass xx