What is still life?

Still life photography is a genre of photography used for the depiction of inanimate subject matter, typically a small group of objects. The English term ‘still life’ is derived from the Dutch word stilleven, in the 17th century when still-life art was at the height of European popularity.

Timeline

What is Vanitas?

A still life artwork which includes various symbolic objects designed to remind the viewer of their mortality and of the worthlessness of worldly goods and pleasures. Vanitas are closely related to memento mori still lifes.

What is Memento Mori?

Memento mori still lifes are artworks that remind the viewer of the shortness and fragility of life (memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’) and include symbols such as skulls and extinguished candles.

What kind of metaphors and symbols are used in still life and why?

1633 – Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598-1664)

The objects portrayed here contained significant religious meaning, the measured placement of the three motifs, for example, would have been instantly understood as an allusion to the Holy Trinity. The painting has been interpreted as an homage to the Virgin, with the oranges, their blossoms, and the cup of water symbolizing her purity, and the thorn less rose referring to her Immaculate Conception.

Common symbols in still life

Fruit

Not only does a basket of fruit offer the artist a variety of colours and textures to utilize, but it also offers a variety of religious and mythical symbols. For example, in Christianity, apples signify temptation and knowledge in reference to the Old Testament account of Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Skulls

One of the more heavy-handed symbols that appears in vanitas still life paintings is the skull, which is a striking reminder of the certainty of death. Such a symbol is called a Memento Mori, a Latin phrase meaning “Remember that you will die.”

Candles

Candles represent the inevitability of the passing of time—the longer they burn, the smaller they get until there is nothing left. A lit candle symbolizes light, truth, and knowledge. An extinguished candle symbolizes loss and death. In Christianity, a brightly burning candle indicates faith in God or the light of Christ.