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How have contemporary values and media impacted upon the 16th century genre of Still Life?

Still life has changed dramatically throughout the ages but it is still popular today even if we might not realise it. Ranking the lowest in importance in the hierarchy of genres, established by the French Royal Academy, the still life was seen to require less skill than portrait paintings and historical paintings. However despite the perception that still life paintings were easier to paint, they explored dark and morbid themes usually to convey the message ‘memento mori’, ‘remember you will die’ and ‘vanitas’ ,originating from the word ‘vanity’, which would remind the viewer of their mortality and of the worthlessness of worldly pleasures . This was done by using skulls in compositions and candles that had just been blown out with the last wisp of smoke visible, symbolising death blatantly. On the other hand, some messages were more hidden in the paintings. Many pieces reflected death and  human nature in a very subtle way. This can be seen in Jan Davidsz. de Heem: Still-Life with Lobster and Nautilus Cup. The tipping cup could show the fragility and instability of humanity. The lobster is seen at the bottom of the composition and was regarded as something exquisite and expensive, only intended as banquet food. The lobster is inedible and ugly when alive and in the ocean but when dead, it possesses its delicious and beautiful qualities and is seen as something expensive and intended for the upper-classes. Maybe Jan Davidsz intended this to also reflect humanity and death.

The golden age of still life painting took place in the 17th century but throughout the 18th century and 19th century it became slightly less popular. In the Victorian era, still life compositions included every-day house-hold objects. However flower paintings gained a lot of popularity in the 1800’s, painters like Manet, in his painting ‘Bouquet of flowers’ (1882) and Van Gough in his ‘Still Life with Irises’ (1890) made their canvases bloom with their lively and vibrant colours with the intentions to make the paintings aesthetic and pleasant to the eye with harmonious colours. In the 19th century, the still life was adopted by Pablo Picasso and painted in his cubist style which was full of colour in contrast with the very first still life paintings which were full of shadows and chiaroscuro.

Nowadays, still lifes are created in a much different way influenced by new media. Instead of using the traditional oil paint and canvas, photography is used to capture aesthetic and ornamental scenes. These photographs are usually shared on social media instead of being sold or exhibited in a gallery. The purpose is solely to look pleasing to the eye or are created to show the life of the photographer of the arrangement. They often exhibit lavish food and drink that looks impressive or books and items related to the photographer. The still lifes are carefully arranged to look as perfect and possible. Although these photos with a pleasant colour palette do not have hidden messages of death and mortality, they reflect society and its quest for perfection in the modern age where you are what you post.

References :

https://www.britannica.com/art/still-life-painting#:~:text=The%20painting%20generally%20considered%20to,Lowlands%20during%20the%2017th%20century.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/b/british-watercolours-still-life-flower-painting/

https://www.romepix.com/blog/the-dutch-golden-age-in-art-pieter-claesz

https://fashionhedge.com/2017/06/19/net-bag-trend/

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/v/vanitas