Still life. The value and structure of things
Food, flowers, vessels, books and instruments in an owner’s life and a painter’s work.
Still-life paintings
Still lifes of flowers, fruit and everyday objects. Examine composition, colour and texture, and discover the stories behind the works.
Paintings in this selection
32 artworks. Open a painting to read its story and explore its details.
Yi Taek-gyunBooks and Scholars’ Accoutrements
late 1800s
Tosa MitsuokiAutumn Maples with Poem Slips
c. 1675
Unidentified Japanese paintersMaize and Cockscombs
mid 17th century
Xia ChangBamboo-Covered Stream in Spring Rain
Ming dynasty (1368–1644), dated 1441
Yi Jeong, known as TaneunBamboo in the Wind
early 17th century
Juan Sánchez CotánStill Life with Game Fowl
c. 1600–3
Paul CézanneThe Basket of Apples
About 1893
Kishi GankuBamboo
early 19th century
Luis MeléndezThe Afternoon Meal (La Merienda)
ca. 1772
Suzuki KiitsuFlowers of Autumn and Winter
19th century
Martin Johnson HeadeMagnolias on Light Blue Velvet Cloth
1885–95
Raphaelle PealeStill Life—Strawberries, Nuts, &c.
1822
Sakai HōitsuPersimmon Tree
1816
Itō JakuchūWhite Plum Blossoms and Moon
1755
Zhao MengjianNarcissus
mid-13th century
Vincent van GoghIrises
1890
Henri MatisseStill Life with Geranium
1906
William Michael HarnettStill Life—Violin and Music
1888
Clara PeetersA Bouquet of Flowers
ca. 1612
Jean Siméon ChardinThe White Tablecloth
c. 1731–32
Willem Claesz HedaBanquet Piece with Mince Pie
1635
Paul CezanneStill Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses
ca. 1890
Vincent van GoghRoses
1890
Raphaelle PealeStill Life with Cake
1818Begin with objects you recognise and compare their arrangement, scale and lighting. The painting stories explain circumstances that gave those objects significance. A symbolic reading needs supporting evidence; the presence of an object alone does not establish it.
Artists
- Vincent van Gogh
- Paul Cezanne
- Henri Matisse
- Édouard Manet
- Juan Sánchez Cotán
- Jean Siméon Chardin
- Martin Johnson Heade
- Raphaelle Peale
- Tosa Mitsuoki
- Unidentified Japanese painters
- Kishi Ganku
- Suzuki Kiitsu
- Xia Chang
- Luis Meléndez
- Clara Peeters
- William Michael Harnett
- Zhao Mengjian
- Sakai Hōitsu
- Itō Jakuchū
- Yi Jeong, known as Taneun
- Shen Zhou
- Yun Shouping
- Yi Taek-gyun
- Willem Claesz Heda
- Odilon Redon
Related art tours
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Seurat, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin changed painting for different reasons.
Japanese painting. Scrolls and screens
Literature, temples, the arrangement of rooms and everyday life.
Chinese landscape. The scholar’s life
Public service, retirement, gardens, poetry and the memory of earlier masters.
How to explore the paintings
On an artwork page, choose “Explore the painting”. Zoom in, move around the image and hide the text to see the details. Turn on the audio guide to hear the story, or use autoplay to move between passages.
Zoom quality depends on the available reproduction. Each artwork page lists its collection, story sources and image rights. Access is free and no account is required.