Still life is a form of artistic expression that dates back to the middle ages. It is a form of art that typically contains inanimate objects such as dead animals, Foodstuffs, and man made objects such as vases and goblets. Originally, Still life paintings were commissioned by the wealthy as a display of wealth and power. Throughout the colonial period, A typical still life painting would consist of various exotic imports such as gold, coffee and precious metals.

Still life is popular among artists due to the freedom of expression through the arrangement and emphasis placed on certain objects and it was also used as a medium to portray many philosophical messages, Such as representations of life, mortality and politics.

The very earliest examples of still life were found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs. It was believed that the paintings of foodstuffs and riches would become real in the afterlife and would help serve the deceased pharaoh. Ancient Greek vase paintings also depicted scenes of fruits and wealth, many still life paintings were also created in mosaic form on the floors of wealthy villas and regal temples

Many early still life paintings from the Roman Era up until very recently have contained images of skulls, Which represent mortality and decay. These images are often accompanied by the Latin phrase “Omnia Mors Aequat” meaning “Death makes all equal”

The emergence of oil painting made the creation and painting of these still life images much more realistic due to the ability to layer paints on top of one another. In this time the main emphasis of the paintings was on religious symbolism, however Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the first artists to break free from this trend and explore the origins of still life, Who went into studying fruits and painting these in watercolour

In the 20th Century, Matisse adapted still life portraits to include multi coloured backgrounds, exploring features of abstraction and symbolism

Examples of Still life Paintings