Still life in the history of art: opulence and fragility

What is the course about?

Still life has appealed to artists from Roman times to the present day, even though for a long time it was seen as inferior sort of subject matter. Indeed, earlier in the history of art, groups of objects were not usually represented by themselves but as part of other, larger paintings, and only gradually became accepted as a suitable separate subject matter for finished works around the earlier part of the 16th century. Perhaps because of the lowly status of the still-life genre, women artists also made successful careers as still-life painters. We will examine works by Clara Peeters, Giovanna Garzoni, Rachel Ruysch and others.

Despite this apparent lack of status, still lifes make up some of the most loved paintings of all time: Dürer’s Great Piece of Turf, Cézanne’s Still Life with Apples and van Gogh’s Sunflowers for example. Dutch still lifes of the 17th century, for example by Heda, Claesz and Kalf, and Cézanne’s still lifes of the 19th century, are also some of the most highly admired works in the history of art. Picasso and Braque chose the still life genre for their most avant-garde Cubist works because the neutrality of the subject matter made it a valuable vehicle to explore pure form.

Rather than always being a mere representation of objects, still life as a genre is also often associated with themes of transience, decay and the futility of earthly possessions, particularly in connection with religious ideas. Such paintings are referred to as memento mori or vanitas still-lifes and they gained popularity during the 17th century, particularly in Protestant Europe, where overtly religious subject matter became unacceptable. The complex meanings of the symbolism of vanitas objects as, for example, painted by Harmen Steenwyck and Jan Treck, will repay our close study on the course. However, as we shall also see, the ideas embodied in many of these works continue until the present day in the genre.

Includes a visit to the National Gallery.

What will we cover?

• You will learn about the “hierarchy of genres” and the place that still life held in this hierarchy

• You will discuss the impact the hierarchy had on the artists who produced still-life works, including significant women artists

• You will learn to decode the symbolism of vanitas and memento mori still lifes

• You will examine the different reasons why artists paint still lifes and draw comparisons between still lifes produced by artists from different periods and countries, such as Cotán, Caravaggio, Zurbarán, Chardin, Manet, Fantin-Latour, Monet, Gauguin, Matisse, de Chirico, Morandi, Winifred Nicholson, Magritte and William Scott.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

· Define still life as a genre

· List the names of at least ten different artists who are associated with the still life genre and recognise examples of their work

· Explain the significance of the position of still life in the hierarchy of genres

· Give at least three different reasons for the production of still life paintings

· Describe the subject matter of vanitas still life paintings, interpret at least five of the iconographic symbols and explain the meanings of the associated works

· Explain the appeal of still life painting in the art of the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and avant-garde artists of the early 20th century

· Describe the development of still-life painting in the 20th century.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is suitable for all levels.

You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions and follow health and safety information.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will be taught with slide presentations and group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course; these handouts will be available on City Lit’s Google Classroom, not printed out for you. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of the course start date. Please note: the tutor is unable to email documents because of data protection and copyright restrictions.

The final session of this course will take place at the National Gallery. Further information on this visit will be shared during the course. This session will take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between galleries), you will need to be able to walk between exhibits and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to any gallery stools.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in the museum space.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Art of the Northern Renaissance
Art of the Burgundian Netherlands
Women Artists 1400-1800.