Still life is a form of art depicting any arrangement of inanimate objects, often using various commodities such as food. The style has its roots in Greco-roman art however was truly pioneered by a group of Dutch artists during the 16th century. Their artwork served as a form of rebellion against the conservative themes of art (most of the art of the renaissance featured strong religious undertones) by displaying themes of opulence and debauchery. Despite this history, still life currently occupies the lowest rung on the ‘hierarchy of genres’ however its success with consumers has allowed it to stay relevant in modern art.

Still life is an umbrella category covering several sub-genres; The earliest form of true still life painting is the early renaissance paintings, these typically depicting harvests or flowers as a symbol of wealth.

Vanitas was a form of still life created to display the futile struggle of mankind against time. The work often feature numerous symbols showing the effects of time as well as death and decay. These symbols range from more obvious symbols such as the use of clocks and various animal skulls to more subtle symbolism such as the use of lilies to represent death. Where traditional works of still life aimed to display the opulence and achievement of man, vanitas undermined this by displaying that this possessions are meaningless as time would inevitably claim them in the end.