| Still life subjects have been used in oil paintings | | | | Sunflowers series and Edouard Manet's Edouard |
| since art began, but have become particularly | | | | Manet, Carnations and Clematis in a Crystal Vase |
| popular in western art since the 1700s. Still life | | | | are perhaps the best examples available to study, |
| paintings offer artists the opportunity to have a | | | | though many others exist too. Impressionist and |
| little more control over their subject and have | | | | Post-Impressionist artists are best known out of |
| also proved an excellent training method for | | | | all art movements for their use of still life paintings |
| amateur artists too. | | | | in their work, including Renoir and Monet as well. |
| Flowers and fruit bowls are perhaps the best | | | | Renaissance paintings have also included such |
| known choices for still life paintings as they offer | | | | subjects, and earlier used religious themes for |
| beauty and contrasting colours whilst still being | | | | their works. As was the way at the time, Italian |
| relatively comfortable for an established artist to | | | | and Dutch artists dominated production at the |
| use. They can also be easily manipulated into | | | | time, and some successful female artists also |
| chosen arrangements. Vincent Van Gogh regularly | | | | were mainly restricted to still subjects. |
| used flowers in his impressionist art and enjoyed | | | | Contemporary art continues to experiment and |
| the combinations of colours. Paul Cezanne also is | | | | develop traditional art styles and still life is no |
| well known for his still life paintings. His innovative | | | | different in that regard, with new ways coming |
| art helped pave the way for future artists to | | | | out all the time of showing old topics, embracing |
| create new art movements. Van Gogh's | | | | new technology and ideas all the time. |