What springs to your mind when you think of still life? Is it the traditional arrangements of objects that you might find in the National Gallery, like ‘Flowers in a Vase’ by Paulus Theodorus van Brussel or a Vanitas painting by Edward Collier. Do you think of post Impressionist paintings like those of Paul Cezanne or Van Gogh, or maybe more contemporary works like the ones mentioned here on Artsy’s or the Guardian.
In 2021, teachers at Insight School of Art were asked to chose their favourite still life paintings. Here’s what they said:
Mick Kirkbride chose ‘Mushrooms 1940’ by William Nicholson.
“It was a subject he visited many times but this particular one was painted late in his career. It is a wonderful example of Nicholson’s visual acuity and deftness of touch, the colour so rich and fresh you could pick them off the canvas”.
Rob Verrill chose Personal Values by Rene Magritte.
Rob’s directs us to the renownedart website: “The painting creates the sensation that we are standing in an ambiguous space that is both open and confining, creating a sense of radical change in scale that represents one of the most potent aspects of Magritte’s works. Entrapped in the small room, the oversized objects depicted–including a comb, a shaving brush, and a match–lose their utilitarian character and become disconcerting strangers, a twist on the traditional still-life motif that unsettles the viewer and achieves Magritte’s goal of unleashing “the mystery that is in the real.” Opening up the flat planes of the wall to a cloud-filled sky was an especially powerful idea.”
Karen Walters chose a painting by Giorgio Morandi.
“Giorgio Morandi has to be one of my favourite still life artists. I love the way he constructs his compositions with his carefully selected everyday objects (which appear to ‘stand to attention.’), and the muted subdued colour palette and simplicity of his work. His brush strokes are often very visible and he leaves the roughness around the edges which I very much like. The objects are painted in a more abstract way with large flat areas of carefully considered colour and closely related tones. I find his work to be truly inspiring and inspirational”.
Celestine Thomas chose Dolly by Michael Craig Martin.
Craig Martin simplifies the subject matter and abstracts the elements he feels are most important. He redefines them in space so we can appreciate the three dimensionality of the object. The colours have the greatest impact on me.
Matt Davies chose Stolen Moment by Lachlan Goudie.
“I am a huge fan of Lachlan Goudie. It was hard to decide on a fave but I was lured in by the beautifully painted red tea pot in this still life. Details are kept fresh and not overworked. The application of paint and colour choices show Goudie’s contemporary approach to traditional subject matter.”
Lara Sparey chose Still Life with Delft Jar by Euan Uglow.
“This is one of my favourite still life paintings. It’s by Euan Uglow. In fact I could choose nearly any one of his still life paintings. I love the way that Uglow applies paint, creating beautiful forms through smaller faceted plains. I particularly like this disparate range of objects, this painting is a ‘sampler’, a wonderful demonstration of his understanding of form, texture and colour”.
Paul Regan chose Jonny Green.
“Jonny Green makes small models from plasticine and craft materials, then paints them beautifully in oils.”
Finally, the National Gallery website has this very informative ten minute video about arranging a still life composition, based on paintings in their collection.