Still Life Artwork28.

Starting off as a way for students to practice shape and form, the still life has evolved into a fully-fledged genre of art.

Artists predominantly use paints like oil to complete their work but watercolor, acrylic, and carbon pencil are also popular.

You can arrange any collection of inanimate objects to be the subject of a still life.

Edouard Manet once called still life “the touchstone of painting.” Characterized by an interest in the insentient, this genre of art has been popular across movements, cultures, and periods, with major figures like Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso sharing the Impressionist artist‘s view.

The term “still life” is derived from the Dutch word stilleven, which gained prominence during the 16th century. While it was during this time that the still life gained recognition as a genre, its roots date back to ancient times.