In Russian pictorial art, still life has almost always been a secondary genre. And only sophisticated art critics will be able to name a domestic still life painter. But, one way or another, still life as an independent genre began to develop in the 19th century. The first "swallows" were small watercolors and gouaches by F.P. Tolstoy and the work of I.T. Khrutsky. These were classic European still lifes with lush bouquets of garden flowers and fruit baskets. For all their artistic charm, these works had a very limited value for the development of Russian painting.

Interest in still life as an independent genre of painting appears in 80s of the 19th century. Paintings play an important role here. I.I. Levitan (1860-1900). They are usually simple in design and not large in size, and represent bouquets of familiar garden or wildflowers. In a still life Forest violets and forget-me-nots (1889) the artist sensitively betrayed the fragility of night violets and the airiness of blue forget-me-nots, their harmony with a simple rustic flask. Close in motive Dandelions" and "White Lilac". The first ones are designed in a warm range, which looks very organic with the clay of the milk pot and yellow flower heads. These still lifes by Levitan are quite traditional: the bouquets are depicted on a neutral background and isolated from the surrounding space. The meaning of these paintings is very simple - to convey the beauty of the chosen nature as accurately as possible. However, at the same time in creativity V.A. Serov and K.A. Korovin new trends began to appear that originated on the canvases of the French impressionists. The Impressionists tried to associate the still life with environment, both plot and picturesque. To do this, the "dead nature" is taken out into the open air, associated with the landscape or connected to the interior of the room. With the help of still life, they try to create a reflection of a person’s attitude, his mood and way of life.

All these trends are visible in Korovin's painting "At the Tea Table" (1888). The canvas depicts a friendly society in the country V.D. Polenova. The painting was painted on the terrace of a country house. The artist is trying to convey the feeling summer day, the beauty of friendly conversation. The freshness emanating from the greenery and young faces is also created to a certain extent by the still life - the contrast of red poured berries in a white plate, milk in tall transparent glasses, and the whiteness of a fresh tablecloth. The emotional unity of the picture is primarily achieved by the pictorial solution of the canvas. Everything depicted is written taking into account the surrounding light and air environment. In Serov's famous painting " Girl with Peaches" (1887) still life with peaches foreground does not play at first glance. important role in the composition of the canvas. All the artist's attention is focused on V. Mamontova, and the fruits only complement the created image. But peaches help Serov solve an important problem. artistic task. The fruits, according to the artist, serve as a color key to the coloristic construction of the picture. Serov selects his own for peaches yellow and contrasts it with the whiteness of the tablecloth, the greenness of the maple leaves and the yellowness of the light pouring from the window into the garden. The artist distinguishes lemon-yellow, greenish and golden-yellow tones on the uneven sides of the fruit. The tangible light of a summer day, which seems to form peaches, determines the entire emotional and pictorial structure of the picture.

In these works, Serov and Korovin discover new stage in the development of Russian still life. The analytical nature of these paintings is fundamentally different from the concept of a salon still life that existed at that time. The main advantage of such works was considered the maximum similarity of the image with the subject. Etude ease of manner or careful finishing of the picturesque surface was also highly valued. Most accurately, all these principles are embodied in the big picture. K. E. Makovsky "In the artist's studio" (1881). The work strikes with a “still life” heap of details: exotic fruits, rich fabrics, antique rarities. big dog and a little boy do not seem to be living beings, but simple exhibits of this exhibition of luxury goods. The new concept of still life assumed a comprehensive expansion of the boundaries of the genre and its merger with portrait, landscape, interior and household painting. Still life ceases to be simple image « dead nature and turns into a means of revealing the image.

New trends are visible in famous painting V.D. Polenov "Sick" (1886). The interior and the figure of the heroine are immersed in a deep shadow - they are only a background, and the meaning of what is happening is revealed with the help of compact group objects, which is brightly lit by a lamp with a green shade. This still life is very informative. A half-burnt lampshade is snatched out of the darkness by crumpled pillows and sheets, a glass decanter, a glass of water, vials of medicines and doctor's prescriptions. On the left, shabby books in red and blue covers are visible, perhaps these are home remedies or albums that entertained the patient. Such a composition is a symbol of the fact that the whole life of this patient is centered around this table and the objects standing on it. At work, still life is given an active role in creating mood. Also quite characteristic is the still life, which is highlighted in the picture K. Makovsky "Alekseich". In the picture, the figure of a man is already depicted in the background, behind a still life. The image of a benevolent old man is revealed in the sincere joy with which he anticipates his lonely tea party. A crust of bread, a boiling samovar, jam in glass jar, a box of sugar and tea carefully covered with a towel - all this creates a feeling of peace and warmth, which sincerely pleases an unpretentious person.

As an independent genre of painting, still life arose in the 17th century in the works of Flemish and Dutch artists. Until that time, only its utilitarian, decorative function was recognized and the possibility of giving the image a deeper, philosophical meaning was excluded.

Allegory is characteristic of early still lifes, mainly compositional element which often became a human skull - a symbol of fleeting and mortal life, inevitably replaced by death. The glass depicted in the picture was the embodiment of thoughts about the fragility of life, and the smoking pipe reminded of the momentary and elusive earthly pleasures. But even during this period, the attention of artists to the picturesque "dead nature": flowers, fruits, household items - did not weaken.

IN early XVIII century, still life as an independent, but "lower" genre also arose in Russia. And if initially it was considered as an educational production, then already a century later it began to acquire greater semantic fullness. Genuine and lively interest in it appears in late XIX- the beginning of the 20th century, when the still lifes of Russian artists become the embodiment of a new vision and understanding of the genre. The created canvases reflect the painters' search for previously unused opportunities in the field of plot and composition, form and color.

One of the main names associated with the genre of Russian still life belongs to I.I. Levitan, who repeatedly addressed the topic of "dead nature". But if his works are still quite traditional, then still lifes famous artists K.A. Korovin and V.A. Serov were already written under the influence of new views and become a means of conveying the worldview of an individual.

An illustration of this statement is the picture of K.A. Korovin "At the Tea Table", in which the boundaries of the genre are practically erased. The image of dishes and other items of the meal is skillfully combined with the landscape, portrait, and interior. The still life with fruit “Girl with Peaches” by V.A. Serov. The fruits on it, remaining essentially an accessory, are the defining element for the entire pictorial and emotional plot of the picture.

Others prominent representatives genre in different time were I.E Grabar, K.S. Petrov-Vodkin, P.P. Konchalovsky, I.I. Mashkov, A.T. Zverev, R.R. Falk.

And in contemporary art still life does not lose its relevance, leaving the masters room for creative inspiration.

An individual and extremely personal view of the genre is embodied in the paintings of G.A. Leman: harmoniously beautiful, airy, almost weightless.

Along with landscapes, still life in the artist's work occupies one of the important places. It is born as a result of the painter's close and constant observation of nature, careful choice of motives and meanings, tireless readiness to embody the elusive beauty of the surrounding world on the canvas. Each painting of the artist is filled with freshness, fragrance, air and sunlight, which makes a light and joyful feeling settle in the soul.

Still lifes with flowers

For G.A. Leman's still lifes with flowers are a very special and at the same time personal direction in creativity. The paintings were painted exclusively at the master's dacha in Tarusa in Kaluga region where he has been coming to rest and work for many years.

Each still life has its own little family history. All the flowers depicted on the canvases were grown by the caring hands of the artist's wife, Tatyana Georgievna Leman, with whom Georgy Alexandrovich lived happily for more than half a century.

The attention of the master is focused precisely on the colors that surround a person throughout his life and symbolize something significant and personal for him.

For G.A. Leman is not just a celebration of natural colors and shades, but a treasure trove of precious memories and feelings. Bright, saturated and pastel, delicate colors, lush spring-summer and autumn bouquets resurrect the memory of happy and kind moments that every person's life is full of.

Georgy Leman "Autumn Bouquet" 2005.
still life oil on canvas

Still life G.A. Leman's "Autumn Bouquet" was written in 2005 during one of the artist's trips to the dacha in Tarusa. The view of the viewer opens up two planes of the picture: a warm orange-brown background, against which red and yellow flower heads stand out, and a cool white-blue table surface with juicy fruits and a glass jug for a bouquet.

Nothing distracts the viewer's attention from the contemplation of the cozy autumn motive. The bouquet is somewhat careless, and one of the apples is plucked along with a green twig, which gives the impression that they were brought into the room just a moment ago. In this slight inaccuracy, there is naturalness and a special homely charm that you so want to admire.

Still life is a genre that rose to prominence in Western art towards the end of the 16th century and has remained an important genre. Still life are classified according to the depiction of ordinary objects, which can be natural, such as flowers, fruits, etc., or artificial, such as glasses, musical instruments etc. Below is a list of 10 most famous still life paintings by famous artists including Chardin, Paul Cezanne, Van Gogh and Giorgio Morandi.

No. 10 Still life series, Artist Tom Wesselman

The pop art movement originated in the 1950s and uses recognizable images from popular culture. Among the most popular works pop art is a series of still lifes by Tom Wesselmann. His still lifes depict the elements modern world, rather than fruits and vegetables of the previous generation of artists in this genre. This work (Still Life #30) is a combination of painting, sculpture, and a collage of trademarks that Tom saw on the street.

No. 9 Vanitas with violin and glass ball

Illustrator: Peter Klas

About some iconic artists who created still life paintings.

Introduction

The term "still life" is used to define paintings depicting inanimate objects (from the Latin "dead nature"). Moreover, objects can be both of natural origin (fruits, flowers, dead animals and insects, skulls, etc.), and man-made (various utensils, watches, books and scrolls of paper, Jewelry and so on). Often, a still life includes some hidden subtext, conveyed through a symbolic image. Works of an allegorical nature belong to the subgenre "vanitas".

Still life as a genre was most developed in Holland in the 17th century as a way of protesting against the official church and imposing religious art. IN further history paintings by the Dutch of that time (Utrech, Leiden, Delft and others) a huge impact on the development of art: composition, perspective, the use of symbolism as an element of narration. Despite its importance and interest from the public, according to the academies of arts, still life occupied the last place in the general hierarchy of genres.

Rachel Ruysch

Ruysch is one of the most famous Dutch realists and still life painters. The compositions of this artist contain a lot of symbolism, various moral and religious messages. Her form style is a combination of a dark background, meticulous attention to detail, delicate coloring and the image of additional, giving interest, elements (insects, birds, reptiles, crystal vases).

Harmen van Stenwijk

The work of this Dutch realist perfectly demonstrates still lifes in the vanitas style, illustrating the hustle and bustle of earthly life. One of the most famous paintings is an "Allegory of Vanity human life”, which shows a human skull in the rays sunlight. Various subjects of the composition refer to the ideas of the inevitability of physical death. The detail and level of realism in Stenwijk's paintings is achieved through the use of fine brushes and paint application techniques.

Paul Cezanne

Known for his landscapes, portraits and genre works, Cezanne contributed to the development of still life. After the interest in Impressionism faded, the artist began to explore fruits and natural objects, experiment with three-dimensional figures. These studies helped create perspective and dimension in still life paintings, not only through classical techniques, but also through the masterful use of color. All the directions considered by Cezanne were further studied by Georges Braque and Picasso in the development of analytical cubism. In pursuit of the goal of creating something "permanent", the artist preferred to paint the same objects, and the incredibly long process of creating a still life led to the fact that fruits and vegetables began to rot and decompose long before the painting was completed.

Khem

A student of David Bailly, the Dutch realist Hem is known for his magnificent still lifes with a large number of details, loaded with compositions, an abundance of insects and other decorative and symbolic elements. Often the artist used religious motifs in his works, like Jan Brueghel and Federico Borromeo.

Jean Baptiste Chardin

The carpenter's son Jean Chardin acquired his industriousness and craving for order precisely thanks to his father. The master's paintings are often calm and sober, because he strove for harmony of tone, color and form, largely achieved through work with lighting and contrasts. The desire for purity and order is also expressed in the absence of allegories in the compositions.

Frans Snyders

The author of baroque still lifes and animal scenes was an incredibly prolific master, and his ability to depict the texture of leather, fur, glass, metal and other materials was unsurpassed. Snyders was also a prominent animal painter, often depicting dead animals in his still lifes. Later, he becomes the official painter of the Archduke Albert of Austria, which resulted in the creation of another more masterpieces.

Francisco de Zurbaran

Zurbaran - famous author paintings on a religious theme - is one of the greatest creators of still lifes. Painted in the strict Spanish tradition, his work has a timeless quality and impeccable simplicity. As a rule, they represent a small number of objects against a darkened background.

Conor Walton

Of the modern authors, Conor Walton deserves attention. The contribution of the Irish artist to the development of still life can be clearly seen in the works "Hidden: Oranges and Lemons" (2008), "Still Life with Large Orchids" (2004). The craftsman's work is precise and executed with exceptional use of light to help convey the textures of various surfaces.

The best still lifes updated: November 14, 2017 by: Gleb