Still Life - Resources for Artists

What is a Still Life?" is a question which apparently perplexes some people. Back in July I posted about it on this blog (see link). Since then, my blog stats tell me that this particular post has proved to be one of the most popular on this blog. I guess this means there's actually rather more people seeking answers to that question than I thought. I think they might be telling their friends as well..... ;)

As a result, I've downloaded the links generated by the research for that particular blog post into a Squidoo Lens - set up pretty much in the same way as the other ones I've developed (which you can see in Making a Mark - Resources for Artists).

This new one is dedicated to 'still life' and its scope is set out below. "Still Life - Resources for Artists" can be found at http://www.squidoo.com/still-life/. I'll be continuing to add new links to it as I find them (also see below). My main focus at the moment is adding in links to artists who specialised in still life and online galleries of paintings in the still life genre.

This lens provides information and advice from various websites for artists wanting to understand and draw and paint still life subjects.

Topics covered include:
- definitions and categories of 'still life';
- links to museums, art galleries and exhibitions of still life paintings;
- books about still life art;
- links to tips and techniques for drawing and painting still life subjects and
- still life artists.
Introduction to Squidoo Lens: Still Life - Resources for Artists

Still Life with a Basket of Fruit 1622
Balthasar van der Ast (Dutch, 1593-1657)
Oil on panel, 19 1/2 x 32 in. (49.5 x 81.3 cm.)
North Carolina Museum of Art

Those interested in the still life genre might be interested to know of some new links I found.

ArtLex has three pages which provide a very good visual overview of the way in which still life painting changed over the year from before 1700 up until 1900.

• ArtLex - examples of still life paintings by artists born bfore 1700
• ArtLex - examples of still life paintings by artists born between 1701 and 1850
• ArtLex - examples of still life paintings by artists born between 1851 and 1900

Also if you want to look at some very special images check out the link to the still life paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum. This is where I the online version of a gallery can have advantages as not all of these paintings are on show in the museum.

Still Life - Violin and Music 1888
William Michael Harnett (1848-1892)
Metropolitan Museum of Art

It occurs to me that "The Still Life" might be an appropriate subject for a future project - maybe next year?

What do people think?

• Leaving it quite broad as a topic would mean that people could go in whatever direction they fancy.
  
• Making it next year gives us all a bit more time to research the topic on the Internet.

In the meantime, get on over to Nicole Caulfield's blog and take a look at her latest still life paintings. She's been doing some research into the work of one of the most important Dutch still life painters of the seventeenth century - Pieter Claesz. She is developing a new approach to her still life work as a result which in turn is producing some very attractive results.

Links:

• Making A Mark - What is a Still Life?
• Making A Mark - Resources for Artists
• Still Life - Resources for Artists
• Nicole Caulfield
• Pieter Claesz
• North Carolina Museum of Art
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Getty Museum