Menu
HomeBookGalleryLearnAnatomyPlayToolsCoursesColour-inHistoryNewsGlossarySearch

Home / The Book / Part III · Craft, genres and media

Part III · Craft, genres and media · Chapter 31 of 31

The still life

Still life is the painter's laboratory: you control the objects, the light and the time. Dutch painters made it a showcase for texture; Cézanne turned it into a study of structure.

Still Life with a Gilded Goblet by Willem Claesz. Heda
Still Life with a Gilded Goblet, Willem Claesz. Heda (1635). Oil on panel. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Vase with Flowers by Rachel Ruysch
Vase with Flowers, Rachel Ruysch (c. 1700). Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
The Basket of Apples by Paul Cézanne
The Basket of Apples, Paul Cézanne (c. 1893). Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Setting up

Use a single light source, a plain backdrop and a few objects of different shapes, sizes and materials. Overlap them and vary the spacing. Leave one object as the clear star.

Dutch 'vanitas' still lifes carry symbols — a snuffed candle, a skull, a peeled lemon — reminders that life is short. Cézanne tilted tables and fruit to show them from several points of view.

Rendering surfaces

Matte surfaces show a gradual transition from light to shadow; shiny ones have sharp highlights and reflections of their surroundings. Glass and metal are mostly reflections — paint what you see, not what you know.

Try it

  1. Arrange three objects with one light and do a 10-minute value study.
  2. Paint the shadow shapes as one dark mass.
  3. Add the lights, then the reflections and highlights last.

Examples to study

Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses by Paul Cézanne
Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, Paul Cézanne (ca. 1890). Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
Sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh (1888). Oil on canvas. The National Gallery, London. Source: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Shoes by Vincent van Gogh
Shoes, Vincent van Gogh (1888). Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)
Still-Life with a Watermelon and Pomegranates by Paul Cézanne
Still-Life with a Watermelon and Pomegranates, Paul Cézanne (1900–1906). Watercolor over graphite on laid paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 (Met Open Access)

Watch

How to Set up a Still Life That Isn't Boring: Simple Tricks & Lighting for Beginners · Art Prof: Your Art School

Videos load from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play.