By Yann
What is still life?
- Still life comes from the Dutch word ‘stilleven’ and is a popular genre in photography which captures inanimate objects.
- It originated from Dutch colonialism where the Dutch would take back fruits and other objects from other countries and photograph them to show their wealth and value
- Flowers and food are commonly photographed in still life, however it can be anything you like that’s still.
Some examples of still life
Still life photographers
Some famous still life photographers are:
- Olivia Parker
- Krista van der Niet
- Henry Hargreaves
- Sharon Core
- Josef Sudek
Choosing a photographer to analyse
After looking the still life photographers on the previous slide I chose Sharon core as I really like her still life photography and the dynamics of it.
Taking some Still Life photos
We went into the lighting studio and took some still life photos
What is Vanitas?
Vanitas is a sub-genre of still life which is used to symbolise the shortness of life and the inevitability of death.
The word Vanitas is Latin and means Vanity which is referenced in the bible’s old testaments.
It became popular with Dutch painters during the Baroque period. However some Spanish painters also created Vanitas paintings.
Vanitas paintings were first made by a group of Dutch artists as early as the 16th century but didn’t become popular until the 17th century.
The work usually contains skulls as it helps symbolise death.
Memento Mori
Memento Mori is incredibility similar to Vanitas and is Latin for “remember you must die” and also contains skulls and other objects to remind us of death. Like with Vanitas it also became popular during the 17th century.