Still life paintings

Oil paintings originated ages back and still life oil paintings originated along with it. These paintings are based on still life objects that we see all around us. However the popularity of still life paintings started after 1700 AD. In fact western art has popularized this form of oil painting. Many artists prefer this type of painting because it gives them a better hold on the object that they paint. Amateur artists who start off with this form of painting get an opportunity to improve on their art.

The best choices for still life paintings are flowers and fruit bowls. Artists find it comfortable to work on these objects. Moreover these objects are colorful and their beauty creates magic on the canvas. These objects can also be arranged by artists in their own preferred to ensure maximum appeal of their paintings.

Some world famous painters exploited still life paintings to create masterpieces which impressed not only others but also themselves. The impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh immortalized his art by combining the colors of flowers. A classic example of his art is the sunflower's series. Another great artist who was famous for his still life paintings was Paul Cezanne. His innovation inspired future artist to leave behind a legacy. Even Edouard Manet became famous for this type of painting through his creations like ‘carnations and clematis in a crystal vase'. After the impressionist artists the art of still life paintings was taken to a new high by post-impressionist artists like Renoir and Monet.

Another important subject of still life oil paintings are shadows. In fact many artists feel that shadows add life to their art. Every object in nature holds a shadow and a simple cast shadow is a great medium. Most artists prefer the simple cast shadow as the medium for their painting. They use colors that look similar with the color of the object. To enhance the effect they use colors like yellow, orange and red which are known as warm colors.

Still life paintings also influenced renaissance and contemporary art. There are many such paintings with still life subjects. The Italian and Dutch artists of that era who were mostly female became highly successful with their still life art. With time art has undergone lots of experiments with style but still life art is still popular and new technology has made it even better. No doubt this type of painting will dominate the art scene for a long time.


Buy oil paintings direct from Canadian artist Lena Karpinsky on her website, www.ARTbyLENA.com