The following links about relationships between artists and still life can be used to initiate discussion with students before setting them a painting or drawing activity around the subject.
Firstly, Martin Gayford recalls a meeting with London based figure and still life painter Euan Uglow. Fast forward to 1m 32s for the start and google some of the paintings as they are mentioned as you listen.
Gayford talks about how Uglow spent a lot of time in front of his subjects, often years, to really understand them. Trying to make the paintings ‘sing better each time….. each bit of colour has got to ring clearly’.
In this short video about the artist Georgio Morandi made by Christies, Lorenzo Balbi talks about similar themes, the ‘dance’ of the ‘relationship between the artists and the object’. You can scroll down the page to see example of Morandis work, or check out the Estorick Collection near Highbury Corner, London, a gallery that specialises in Italian art.
And finally, in this short film, Elizabeth Blackadder talks about collecting objects and painting them. If you would like to watch her paint and explain her process, there’s an excellent video made by APV films, available to buy here.
