Famous still lifes Russian painting description. Still life as a genre of fine arts. (A brief description of)

Still life(French Nature morte - dead nature), one of the genres of painting depicting the gifts of nature (fruits, flowers, fish, game), as well as things made by human hands (tableware, vases, watches, etc.). Sometimes inanimate objects coexist with living beings - insects, birds, animals and people.

Still life motifs are already found in art ancient east and antiquity. There is a legend that the ancient Greek artist Apelles depicted grapes so skillfully that the birds mistook him for a real one and began to peck.

The first mention of still life can be found in XV-XVI centuries. For a long time, still life retained its connection with the religious picture.

As an independent genre, still life developed in the 17th century. and then experienced its bright heyday in the work of the Dutch, Flemish and Spanish masters. The diversity of its types and forms at that time is associated with the development of national realistic schools of painting.

Also popular were images of kitchen utensils, vases with flowers, and, finally, Vanitas(“vanity of vanities”), still lifes on the theme of the frailty of life and its short-term joys, calling for remembering true values and taking care of the salvation of the soul. Favorite attributes of "Vanitas" are a skull and a watch (J. van Strek. "Vanity of vanities").

For Dutch still lifes , as well as in general for the still life of the 17th century, the presence of hidden philosophical overtones is characteristic, a complex Christian or love symbolism(the lemon was a symbol of moderation, the dog was fidelity, etc.)

The Flemings, on the contrary, painted large, sometimes huge canvases intended to decorate the palace halls. They are distinguished by a festive multicolor, an abundance of objects, and the complexity of the composition. Such still lifes were called "shops"(J. Feith, F. Snyders). They depicted tables littered with game, seafood, bread, and next to them were the owners offering their goods. Abundant food, as if not fitting on the tables, hung down, fell out directly on the audience.

AT Italy and Spain The rise of still life was greatly contributed to the work of Caravaggio. The favorite themes of still life were flowers, vegetables and fruits, seafood, kitchenware etc. (P. P. Bonzi, M. Campidoglio, J. Recco, J. B. Ruoppolo, E. Baskenis and others).

Spanish artists preferred to limit themselves to a small set of items and worked in a discreet color scheme. The forms are simple and noble; they are carefully molded with chiaroscuro, almost tangible, the composition is strictly balanced (F. Zurbaran. "Still life with oranges and lemons", 1633; A. Pereda. "Still life with a clock").

In the 19th century trickery traditions have been rethought. Still life is experiencing a rise in the first floor. 19th century in the work of F.P. Tolstoy, who rethought the traditions of "tricks" ("Berries of red and white currants", 1818), artists Venetian school, I. T. Khrutsky. In everyday objects, artists sought to see beauty and perfection.

In the 18th century the French master J.-B. FROM. Chardin. His paintings, depicting simple, solid utensils (bowls, a copper tank), vegetables, simple food, are filled with the breath of life, warmed by the poetry of the hearth and affirm the beauty of everyday life. Chardin also painted allegorical still lifes (Still Life with Attributes of the Arts, 1766).

The beauty of nature has always disturbed the hearts and minds of people. Artists, with their special aesthetic perception, tried at all times to combine the living and the inanimate. Still life - consonance of household items and nature. The peculiarity of the composition allows the artist to convey to the viewer the emotional richness of the picture.

A still life with flowers is so picturesque in itself that it does not require a variety of additional details. The color of lighting, the combination of lines and colors, shape and texture allow you to create a unique dramaturgy of the image.

What is still life?

Still life translated from French means "dead nature". It took shape as an independent genre of painting in the 17th century. Still life is entirely dedicated to the depiction of things. This distinguishes it from portrait, landscape, historical subjects. Objects of wildlife (fish, game, fruits, flowers) are present in the still life. But they are detached from their natural environment. For example, fish and game are on the table, fruits are on a plate, flowers are in a vase.

Images of people, animals or insects can be found in still life. But they are rather an addition to the main motive. Because the goal of a still life is the texture of objects, the concentration on details. This is an aesthetic focus on the contrast of shapes, colors, and the general background.

The artist himself chooses the composition for his painting: household items, drapery. He can change, move or completely remove any part. All compositional integrity depends entirely on the artist.

Still life symbolism

All objects in a still life contain a certain meaning, a secret subtext. Objects speak to the viewer in the language of symbols.

The skull is a symbol of the frailty of life.
Crystal glass - fragility.
An empty glass (as opposed to a full one) is a reminder of death.
Gold, silver utensils are a habit of luxury.
Keys - concealment or disclosure of secrets.
Snakes, lizards - deceit and cunning.
Flies, spiders - viciousness.
A nut in a shell is a soul bound by sin.

The variety of meanings of objects depends on the era, the country in which the still life was painted. Flowers in a vase are hidden meaning old age and withering if they crumble. Bright and fresh symbolize youth, beauty.

Violets, forget-me-nots speak of purity, innocence. Bright, red flowers - about pride, arrogance. The olive branch is a symbol of peace. flower buds - hidden opportunities. Lilies of the valley, bells - modesty, tenderness. Flying butterflies around a vase of flowers mean immortality, rebirth and rebirth of the human soul.

Still life with flowers

The greatest flourishing of still life as a genre is expressed in the canvases of Flemish and Dutch artists. Household items, kitchen utensils are idealized, become important actors in the picture.

The popularity of floral motifs is associated with the tradition of the Dutch to grow gardens, houseplants. The splendor of greenery, a variety of shades, the rays of the sun and raindrops in the leaves are attractive to the aesthetic taste of the artist.

Still life with flowers becomes popular after the appearance of paintings by such masters as Jan Davids de Heem, Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Balthazar van der Ast.

French impressionism supported the development of still life as a separate genre. color spots, intense light, transmission air flow in the canvas - new principles of perception of the surrounding world - were introduced by Gustave Courbet and Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Renoir.

Russian painters (Igor Grabar, Konstantin Korovin, Isaac Levitan) saw the still life style somewhat differently. In the first place they put the reliability of the image. That is why their pictures are so realistic. Still life, flowers move into a reliable plane, striking with their emotional persuasiveness.

contemporary painting

Still life with flowers is still relevant today. These are oil, watercolor and pencil paintings. Energy of space, natural colors, modern possibilities photography make their own adjustments to the genre of still life. These are garden and country flowers, luxurious author's bouquets and modest spring foliage.

Such paintings fit perfectly into the interior of the house. Their color saturation, colorful emotionality will add the necessary accents to the decor of the apartment. The variety of arranging flowers, objects, modern realities depends on the aesthetic imagination of the artist.

It is characterized by attention to the pictorial development of the light environment, to the variety of textures of various materials, the subtlety of tonal relationships and color scheme - from the exquisitely modest coloring of the "monochrome breakfasts" by V. Kheda and P. Klas to the intensely contrasting, coloristically effective compositions of V. Kalf ( "desserts"). The Dutch still life is distinguished by the abundance of masters who worked in this genre and the variety of types: in addition to "breakfasts" and "desserts", "fish" (A. Beyeren), "flowers and fruits" (J. D. de Heem), "beaten game" ( J. Venike, M. Hondekuter), the allegorical still life "vanitas" ("vanity of vanities") and others. , combining all these varieties. The Flemish still life (mainly "markets", "shops", "flowers and fruits") is distinguished by the scope of the compositions: they are multi-component, majestic and dynamic; these are hymns to fertility and abundance (F. Snyders, J. Feit). In the 17th century German (G. Flegel, K. Paudis) and French (L. Vozhen) still life are also developing. From the end of the 17th century in the French still life, the decorative trends of court art triumphed. Next to the still life of flowers (J. B. Monnoyer and his school), hunting N. (A. F. Deporte and J. B. Oudry) only occasionally appear samples household still life. But in the 18th century in France, one of the most significant masters of still life works - J. B. S. Chardin, whose works stand out for their special depth of content, freedom of composition and richness of color solutions. His images of the world of everyday things are democratic in nature, intimate and humane, as if warmed by the poetry of the hearth. In the middle of the 18th century the term "nature morte" arose, which reflected the disdain for still life on the part of academic circles, who preferred genres whose area was "living nature" ( historical genre, portrait, etc.). But advanced art destroyed the academic hierarchy of genres, which hindered the development of still life. The compositional clichés of the still life were outlived, and the regularities of this pictorial form were re-evaluated. In the 19th century the fate of still life is determined by the leading masters of painting, who work in many genres and involve still life in the struggle of aesthetic and artistic ideas (F. Goya in Spain, E. Delacroix, G. Courbet, E. Manet and the Impressionists in France, who occasionally turned to still life). However, the 19th century for a long time he did not put forward major masters specializing in this particular genre in still life. Against the background of a routine salon still life of the 2nd half of the 19th century. stand out, in general, the traditional work of the Frenchman A. Fantin-Latour and the American W. Harnet, who revived the type of "trompel" oeil in a peculiar way. The rise of still life is associated with the performance of post-impressionist masters, for whom the world of things becomes one of the main themes. The expressive possibilities of still life, up to the dramatic expression of the social and moral position of the artist, are embodied in the work of the Dutchman W. van Gogh. a creative concept that had a great influence on the development of still life (as well as painting in general) in the art of the 20th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century, still life has been a kind of creative laboratory for painting. revealing the emotional and decorative-expressive possibilities of color and texture, and representatives of cubism (J. Braque, P. Picasso, H. Gris and others), using the analytical possibilities inherent in the specifics of still life, seek to establish new ways of conveying space and form. The problems (or motives) of still life also attract masters of later trends - from artists who, to varying degrees, combine an orientation towards the classical heritage with new discoveries in painting (Picasso in France, A. Kanoldt in Germany, G. Morandi in Italy), to representatives surrealism and “pop art,” whose works as a whole go beyond the boundaries of the historically established genre of N. The realistic traditions of N. (often with an emphasized social trend) in the 20th century are represented by the work of D. Rivera and D. Siqueiros in Mexico, R. Guttuso in Italy.

Still life appeared in Russian art in the 18th century. together with the affirmation of secular painting, reflecting the cognitive pathos of the era and the desire to truthfully and accurately convey the objective world ("tricks" by G. N. Teplov, P. G. Bogomolov, T. Ulyanov, etc.). Further development Russian still life is episodic. Its some rise in the 1st half of the 19th century. (F. P. Tolstoy, school of A. G. Venetsianov, I. T. Khrutsky) is associated with the desire to see beauty in the small and ordinary. In the 2nd half of the 19th century. I. N. Kramskoy, I. E. Repin, V. I. Surikov, V. D. Polenov, I. I. Levitan turn to the still life of a sketchy nature only occasionally; a similar position of still life in the artistic system of the Wanderers followed from their idea of the dominant role of the plot-thematic picture. The independent significance of the still life-study increases at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. (M. A. Vrubel, V. E. Borisov-Musatov). The heyday of Russian still life falls on the beginning of the 20th century. To his the best samples include: impressionistic in their origins, but differently enriched with new artistic trends, the works of K. A. Korovin, I. E. Grabar, M. F. Larionov; the works of artists of the "World of Art" (A. Ya. Golovin and others) subtly playing with the historical and everyday character of things: romanticized, elevated and sharply decorative images of P. V. Kuznetsov, N. N. Sapunov, S. Yu. Sudeikin, M. S. Saryan and other painters of the "Blue Rose" circle; bright, plastic N. masters of the "Jack of Diamonds" (P. P. Konchalovsky, I. I. Mashkov, A. V. Kuprin, V. V. Rozhdestvensky, A. V. Lentulov, R. R. Falk, N. S. Goncharova) with their cult of the unity of color and form and the pathos of the very process of interpreting nature[...] 2 .

In the 17-18 centuries. in northern Europe, still life occupied important place. The space of the house was organized around him, he was “solved”, “played” with him. Still life took the most Active participation in the midst of the exquisite everyday culture of baroque, rococo, and even classicism. And only with the departure of the “gallant age” the role of still life in everyday life becomes more and more ornamental and decorative.

In relation to painting, numerous books of emblems played a kind of role of a dictionary, from which symbols were abundantly drawn. Thus, after the emblematic art, the art of depicting simple, everyday things, endowed with a different, sublime meaning, arises. Still life art emerges. The most extreme realism is here naturally combined with the most extreme allegory, allegory. And the more realistic the objects are depicted, the more interesting their semantic riddle is for the viewer. Sometimes you can hear an opinion about any “rubbish” that the Dutch still life masters of the 17th-18th centuries “dragged” into their paintings. But that is not “litter” at all. The symbolic vision of everyday objects, not at all randomly gathered together, makes us talk about high culture understanding of life in the Netherlands, torn apart by religious and ideological disputes.

In the 17th century, there were many still life masters in the Netherlands. But, if at the very beginning of the century the paintings of the Dutch and Flemish masters had more in common, then by the end of the century their originality was outlined. The works of Dutch artists are more restrained, aligned in color, they noticeably close attention to the details, to every single thing. Flemish works are more dynamic, bright and the objects in them make up a complex composition. And this is not a “dead nature” at all, but a seething life.

There are also various centers of still life in the Netherlands. In business, bourgeois Haarlem, "breakfasts" were born, in aristocratic Utrecht, which has long been famous for growing flowers, - flower bouquets, in the port of The Hague - plentiful fish compositions, in Leiden (university campus) - "scientific" still lifes (the so-called "Vanitas", dedicated to frailty of life).

In these strange pictures, objects removed from the real surrounding space constituted their own unusual and strongly symbolized world. And in the world that there are no random objects. Back in the second half of the 16th century in Prague, at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, who passionately loved art, a society called the “circle of Rudolphians” arose. It included scientists and astrologers, alchemists, artists and poets. The highest goal here was considered the knowledge of the Universe, its basic laws, the eternal connections of the world and man. Very soon, this society becomes the center of a new artistic direction - “mannerism”. For the "Rudolphians" there are no "insignificant" objects or phenomena. The course of the planets is also important, and the flight of a bird, and the movement of bacteria under a microscope (then only open), and the growth of simple field grass. And it is the artist who must merge all this in a single harmony on his canvas.

But since the object itself, its form, features contain its meaning, then it is necessary to convey the object on the canvas with great care. This is how “deceit” naturally enters painting - an illusion of a truthful image of an object (usually an insect or a drop of water), which degenerated by the end of the 18th century into a simple magic trick.

At the same time, even the exact image of the object was not at all unambiguous. On the contrary, things, deliberately excluded from the familiar environment, showed a completely different, and often opposite, meaning. So, for example, still lifes with precious utensils and exquisite dishes, which contemporaries referred to as “luxurious”, were more often “read” by them as a call to abandon excesses.

If we compare the symbolic, filled with whimsical meanings, still life art with literature, then of all literary genres, perhaps the most suitable lyric poetry. Not without reason, it is poetry that is already associated with emblematics. And it is not for nothing that, in parallel with the flourishing of still life, it is lyric poetry that is experiencing its rise in the Netherlands of the 17th century (this is especially evident when comparing still life with the so-called “poetry for the occasion”, where small details of life were described in detail). And just as it is impossible to describe a lyric poem completely rationally, so there is not one more or less detailed description symbolism of a particular still life. The viewer is offered a game - based on the real properties of the object, guess it symbolic meaning in a composition composed by the artist.

Sometimes, however, the artist helped the viewer. So in the painting by Aartsen “The Butcher's Shop” (1551), in the foreground is a table bursting with various varieties of meat, fish, and sausages. In the background, in the very depths, there is a scene of flight to Egypt - flight from all this wealth, which brings inevitable death.

Often the artist directly included text in the picture. This was certainly done in the learned Leiden still lifes “Vanitas” (Latin “emptiness, futility, uselessness, falsity, vacuity”). Quotations from the Bible or from ancient authors devoted to the topic of “vanity of vanities” have become common here: “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah), “The days of man are like grass, like the flower of the field so it blooms” (from the Psalter), “Having passed by the rose, look no more for it” (from Horace). The text was placed either in a beautiful cartouche, or was carefully written out on a shabby sheet of paper (antiquity became synonymous with authenticity), or placed on an open page of an old volume, or was the title of a book, as it were accidentally thrown.

And each object in the picture then corresponds to the text: a rose, flowers of the field, insects - the traditional symbol of a short human existence, and butterflies and dragonflies are a symbol of the salvation of the soul. Gradually, especially significant objects were selected for such still lifes. Hourglass reminded of the transience of life, bouquets of flowers - of withering and transient, smoking lamps, pipes - of short duration, and royal regalia - of all the riches that you will not take with you to another life. The human skull stood out in particular - a vivid symbol of frailty, empty (or half-drunk) glass goblets, which meant the fragility of human existence, and a candle stub - a symbol of extinct life.

Often in the still lifes of "Vanitas" there are "accidental" placers of old books (already bygone time), measuring instruments (no longer needed), flutes and violins ("their sound is so beautiful and fleeting"). In French still lifes, characters appear blowing soap bubbles - human life is likened to the thinnest and most unfaithful bubbles. And in England, after 1649, in many “Vanitas” there are portraits of the executed Charles I Stuart - the end of this king only confirmed the idea of the frailty of earthly happiness and the precariousness of earthly power.

Very often, flowers and herbs serve as a symbol of frailty. Especially if the flowers and herbs are wild ones. Placed against the backdrop of an empty window opening, they further emphasize the hopelessness. Sometimes the leaves of the flowers are eaten away by insects, and empty shells or nuts are scattered nearby.

Actually flower still lifes were divided into "garlands" and "bouquets". Particularly difficult to understand are the "garlands". In the genre of "garlands" famous masters wrote - J. Brueghel Velvet, D. Segers, Ya.D. de Heem. Father D. Seghers, a monk of the Jesuit order, gained particular fame in this field. As a sign of admiration for his skill, crowned European persons gave him expensive gifts - a golden cross with allegorical figures made of enamel, golden bones and a golden palette, etc. The poets dedicated poems to the flowers he painted.

The garland wrapped around the central image (and it could be very different, most often it was a portrait made by other masters) resembled the well-known symbol of Eternity - a snake wrapped around a winged clock. Therefore, such compositions had a glorifying meaning. White lilies and ears of bread were woven into the garland itself, traditionally associated with Christ or Mary and spoke of the purity of the glorified. In addition, much here symbolized the seasons: flowers - spring, ears of corn and fruits - summer, grapes and vegetables - autumn, lemons - winter (“everything changes, only a good memory remains unchanged”).

The language of flowers, borrowed by the Renaissance from medieval symbolism, was understandable to almost any educated aristocrat in the 17th century. And therefore the garlands were easily “read” by the audience. Snowdrops, orange, roses, irises were consecrated to the Mother of God; her appeal to Christ was symbolized by tulips; a thistle branch - the passion of Christ; the triumph of heavenly love was often expressed by the narcissist.

Garlands are wrapped around not only portraits. Often these are watches, a Eucharistic chalice, glasses of wine and even a cartouche with text. Sometimes a small wreath is placed directly in the goblet. This composition goes back to one of the famous emblems: a goblet with a wide bowl filled with wine, in which a flower wreath floats. The inscription read: “What do you think about the fate of mortals?” So the solemn garland in its meaning was connected with “Vanitas”.

Still lifes in the form of bouquets (in a vase, jug or just on the table) were usually composed of three types. And the main focus of the picture fell on various objects. In a radial composition (flower stems fanned out from one point), the image of a flower placed at the convergence of the stems becomes the main one. Compositions of the second type, like a carpet, fill the entire space of the canvas. Then a vertical hierarchy of colors and their meanings is built. The third variety is compositionally built into the figure of a triangle. Here the most significant flower serves as the central axis, and the rest of the flowers are grouped symmetrically around it. However, strict symmetry is soon broken and becomes a favorite, developed by Ya.D. de Heem S-shaped bouquet with graceful curls, anticipating the Rococo style.

There is even a peculiar iconographic scheme with a clear division into spatial zones. Below, near the vase, signs of frailty are usually located - broken or withered flowers, crumbling petals, empty shells, caterpillars, flies; in the center - symbols of modesty and purity (medium moderation), surrounded by lush short-lived flowers (lilies of the valley, violets, forget-me-nots, cyclamens surrounded by roses, carnations, anemones, etc.); the composition is crowned with a large flower, often with a positive meaning, a kind of crown of virtue (and even surrounded by butterflies and dragonflies). At the same time, the vase itself was likened to a fragile vessel, but it could also have an interpretation of the body as “a vessel of abomination and sin.”

Numerous glass, crystal, and even clay vessels, with and without flowers, were perceived as something fragile, unreliable, ready to break. Expensive vessels only emphasized this feeling, carrying an additional sense of the futility of wealth. The contents of the vessels were interpreted in different ways. Water is the theme of baptism, cleansing, wine is the theme of communion. However, wine, especially unfinished wine, could symbolize a life not fully lived, and the remnant of useless luxury.

Almost always, flower still lifes were complemented by objects scattered on the table. Most often, these are empty shells - a sign of empty carnal pleasures. The fruits of a lemon, which is beautiful on the outside, but sour on the inside. The egg is a traditional sign of the Resurrection. The bursting pomegranate fruit is a symbol of fertility, Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Strawberries are a sign of worldly pleasure and temptation. And all this together (flowers, vessels, objects) served a single idea.

In the middle of the 17th century, still lifes depicting reptiles and amphibians became especially widespread. Their presence in the still life refutes its meaning as "dead nature". Rather, its Dutch name fits here - “stilleven” (“quiet, motionless life”).

More often than others they were Italian painters. But the Dutch also have lizards and snakes crawling in the hard grass. This is not at all the painter's predilection for reptiles. It’s just that the snake has long been a symbol of deceit and evil, and the grass has been a fragile human existence. At the same time, attractive berries were often placed in the grass - "pleasure is fraught with evil." Mice, frogs, hedgehogs were also considered diabolical animals and were often depicted instead of a snake. A favorite animalistic plot was the image of a snake grabbing a butterfly. Thus evil consumes all hope of salvation.

Most of the representatives of the still life fauna are insects. Of great importance here is the traditional idea of the three stages of being (earthly existence, death, afterlife souls). The most striking embodiment of these ideas in still lifes was the image of a caterpillar, a chrysalis and a butterfly. So the image of a butterfly, ready to fly up from the shell, unambiguously “read” as “a soul leaving a mortal body”. The same antinomy of life and death was depicted by a butterfly next to a caterpillar or snail. A fly or a spider was considered a symbol of evil, death, sin, stinginess. Therefore, a fly sitting on an apple or peach is traditionally associated with the theme of the fall.

Of the larger animals, squirrels, for example, symbolized hard work, without which earthly goods are impossible. But sometimes, she could also represent frivolity. The hare is “a sign of hearing, sensitivity, abundance, timidity, shyness, fear.” Crayfish or lobsters are the vicissitudes of the world, but also wisdom, prudence, slowness. Often there is an image of a parrot. Contrary to popular belief, in the Middle Ages this bird was likened to the righteous and symbolized eloquence, gratitude, or represented a believer. The monkey, on the other hand, was perceived as an animal that mimics human actions and symbolizes various vices, a sinner and even the devil himself. She, tied or chained, is an addiction to vices and worldly affairs. If the monkey looked in the mirror, it was perceived as an image of vanity.

Often a cat enters the still life world. Per positive traits this animal - dexterity and desire for freedom - it was often dedicated to the Mother of God (especially with a strip in the form of a cross on the back). But usually this animal was associated with dark forces, magic. Already in the Middle Ages, the cat symbolized the devil, and the mouse - the soul, constantly exposed to danger. In modern times, a cat, especially when it picked up a large piece of meat with its claws, was a steady reminder of carnal pleasures. That is why so characteristic (especially for Snyders and his school) are the images of cats going mad at the sight of a table littered with fish and game. The dog, on the contrary, as the antipode of the cat, is a faithful guard who tries to drive the thieving animal away from the plentiful table.

Numerous gold and silver items (vases, cups, decorative items), as well as symbols of power (royal crowns, scepters), undoubtedly belong to the circle of death in still lifes. The artist's sincere admiration for exquisite rarities is perfectly combined with moralizing. Sometimes, especially in late still lifes, small sculpture also comes into the view of the painter. This is undoubtedly the field of mythological characters. The satyr bent under the weight of the clock - time, conquering the devilish, carnal beginning in man; unshoeing Mercury - reassurance from vain earthly worries, etc. 3 .

dead nature - genre visual arts, mainly easel painting, dedicated to the image of inanimate objects: flowers, fruits, dead game, fish, attributes of any activity.

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STILL LIFE

French nature morte - dead nature), one of the genres of painting. Still lifes depict the gifts of nature (fruits, flowers, fish, game), as well as things made by human hands (tableware, vases, clocks, etc.). Sometimes inanimate objects coexist with living beings - insects, birds, animals and people.

Still lifes included in plot compositions are already found in painting. ancient world(wall paintings in Pompeii). There is a legend that the ancient Greek artist Apelles depicted grapes so skillfully that the birds mistook him for a real one and began to peck. As an independent genre, still life developed in the 17th century. and then experienced its bright heyday in the work of the Dutch, Flemish and Spanish masters.

In Holland, there were several varieties of still life. The artists painted “breakfasts” and “desserts” in such a way that it seemed as if a person was somewhere nearby and would soon return. A pipe smokes on the table, a napkin is crumpled, wine in a glass is not finished, a lemon is cut, bread is broken (P. Klas, V. Kheda, V. Kalf). Also popular were images of kitchen utensils, vases of flowers and, finally, “Vanitas” (“vanity of vanities”), still lifes on the theme of the frailty of life and its short-term joys, calling for remembering true values and taking care of saving the soul. Favorite attributes of "Vanitas" are a skull and a watch (J. van Strek. "Vanity of vanities"). Dutch still lifes, as well as 17th century still life in general, are characterized by the presence of hidden philosophical overtones, complex Christian or love symbolism (the lemon was a symbol of moderation, the dog was fidelity, etc.). At the same time, artists recreated in still lifes with love and enthusiasm the diversity of the world (plays of silks and velvets, heavy carpet tablecloths, shimmering silver, juicy berries and noble wine). The composition of still lifes is simple and stable, subject to the diagonal or the shape of a pyramid. The main “hero” is always highlighted in it, for example, a glass, a jug. Masters subtly build relationships between objects, opposing or, conversely, matching their color, shape, surface texture. The smallest details are carefully written out. Small in size, these paintings are designed for close examination, long contemplation and comprehension of their hidden meaning.

The Flemings, on the contrary, painted large, sometimes huge canvases intended to decorate the palace halls. They are distinguished by a festive multicolor, an abundance of objects, and the complexity of the composition. Such still lifes were called "shops" (J. Feit, F. Snyders). They depicted tables littered with game, seafood, bread, and next to them were the owners offering their goods. Abundant food, as if not fitting on the tables, hung down, fell out directly on the audience.

Spanish artists preferred to limit themselves to a small set of objects and worked in a restrained color scheme. Dishes, fruits or shells in the paintings by F. Zurbaran and A. Pereda are sedately placed on the table. Their forms are simple and noble; they are carefully molded with chiaroscuro, almost tangible, the composition is strictly balanced (F. Zurbaran. "Still life with oranges and lemons", 1633; A. Pereda. "Still life with a clock").

In the 18th century the French master J.-B. S. Chardin. His paintings, depicting simple, solid utensils (bowls, a copper pot), vegetables, simple food, are filled with the breath of life, warmed by the poetry of the hearth and affirm the beauty of everyday life. Chardin also painted allegorical still lifes (Still Life with Attributes of the Arts, 1766).

In Russia, the first still lifes appeared in the 18th century. in decorative paintings on the walls of palaces and “dummy” paintings, in which objects were reproduced so accurately that they seemed real (G. N. Teplov, P. G. Bogomolov, T. Ulyanov). In the 19th century trickery traditions have been rethought. The still life is experiencing an upsurge in the first half. 19th century in the works of F. P. Tolstoy, who rethought the traditions of “tricks” (“Berries of Red and White Currants”, 1818), artists of the Venetian school, and I. T. Khrutsky. In everyday objects, artists sought to see beauty and perfection.

A new heyday of the genre comes at the end. 19 - beg. 20th century, when the still life becomes a laboratory for creative experiments, a means of expressing the individuality of the artist. Still life occupies a significant place in the work of post-impressionists - W. Van Gogh, P. Gauguin and, above all, P. Cezanne. The monumentality of the composition, stingy lines, elementary, rigid forms in Cezanne's paintings are designed to reveal the structure, the basis of the thing and recall the unshakable laws of the world order. The artist sculpts the form with color, emphasizing its materiality. At the same time, elusive play of colors, especially cold blue, gives his still lifes a feeling of air and spaciousness. The line of Cezanne still life was continued in Russia by the masters of the “Jack of Diamonds” (I. I. Mashkov, P. P. Konchalovsky and others), combining it with the traditions of the Russian folk art. The artists of the "Blue Rose" (N. N. Sapunov, S. Yu. Sudeikin) created nostalgic, antique-styled compositions. Still lifes of K. S. Petrov-Vodkin are imbued with philosophical generalizations. In the 20th century in the genre of still life solved their creative tasks P. Picasso, A. Matisse, D. Morandi. In Russia, the greatest masters of this genre were M. S. Saryan, P. V. Kuznetsov, A. M. Gerasimov, V. F. Stozharov and others.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

What is still life?

Still life (from the French nature morte - “dead nature”) is a genre of art depicting inanimate objects in a specially created composition.

Let's take a closer look at what a still life is, what types it can be divided into.

Netherlandish still life of the 17th century

In the Dutch still life of this era, for the most part, they captured a measured, as if frozen life.

At this time, in Holland, still life as a genre developed quite intensively, which was facilitated by various factors. At that time there was a high level scientific development in mathematics, physics, science, social sciences. Navigators brought many new items from abroad, new technologies for manufacturing various things arose, and many different beautiful goods were placed in the windows.

There are two types of popular still lifes at this time - flower and scientist.

flower still life

From the 40s. XVII century still life began to develop as an independent genre. Its popularity is easily explained: at that time it was considered traditional to have luxurious gardens and actively cultivate flowers.

Representatives: Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Balthasar van der Ast, Jan David de Heem.

scientist still life

It is considered an intellectual type of still life. To understand such a still life, a person needs to understand the Bible and religious symbolism. It is not uncommon for this genre to use illusions to create an optical illusion. They gained the greatest popularity in the middle of the 17th century in Holland and abroad.

Among the popular artists are the following: Jacob de Gijn the Younger, Floris van Dyck, Hans van Essen, Amborius Bosschaert the Elder and Younger, Clara Peters, David Bailey, Maria van Osterwijk, Cornelis Briese, Abraham Mignon, Willem van Aelst, Jan van Huysum.

Still life in Russia XVIII-XX centuries.

How the genre of still life took shape in Russia in early XVIII in. Until the 19th century, it was considered a lower genre, understood in a limited way, mainly as a simple composition, for example, a production of fruits and flowers. Initially, the still life depicted the gifts of the sea and the earth, various things.

In the 20th century, this genre rose a notch, this is the time of its heyday in Russia. The search for new colors, shapes, compositions began. Within literally 15 years, still life has changed from impressionism to abstract art.

In the 30-40s. In the twentieth century, the development of the genre stopped a little, but in the 50s there was a new rise, and the still life strengthened its position among other pictorial genres.

Russian artists working at that time: Pyotr Konchalovsky, Viktor Teterin, Sergei Zakharov, Nikolai Pozdneev, Ilya Meshkov, Konstantin Korovin, Sergei Osipov, Maya Kopyttseva, Evgenia Antipova, Yaroslav Krestovsky, Kapitolina Rumyantseva, etc.

Still life XX-XXI centuries.

Still life in this era is a wide field for experimentation. This genre develops in various areas:

Now, knowing what a still life is, if you wish, you can practice in this genre. You will also need an article useful materials you will find in the section.