Artists have developed and used many different kinds of techniques over time, hence why they have similarities and differences when it comes to producing still life artworks. Still life is defined as a painting or drawing of an arrangement of objects, typically including fruits and flowers and objects contrasting with these in texture, such as bowls and glassware. For example, in the Dutch Golden Age period, the Dutch artist Pieter Claesz painted a vanitas still life, oil on canvas artwork called “Vanitas Still-Life” in 1630 which sizes 39.5 x 56 cm. Furthermore a while later in the contemporary period- the pop art movement, the American artist Roy Lichtenstein had painted a pop art still life, oil and Magna on canvas artwork called “Still
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In “Vanitas Still-Life”, the symbols in this composition hold a lot of meaning such as the skull represents death and shortness of life, the empty, tipped over wine glass and snuffed out candle symbolises that even though life might be rich and full of pleasures, someday it will still end. Then the books and writing quill are symbols of knowledge, but when placed with the skull, conveys the message- education is worthless because you will die anyway. And lastly, the style of this artwork is called Vanitas where symbolism are used to remind the viewer of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death. This style of still life has also been greatly affected by the medieval latin theory - Memento mori which means “remember that you must die” which aid the same meaning as Vanitas. On the other hand, “Still Life with Palette” conveys meaning through the white cloth which represents vanity as the silk being the expensive material. The paintbrushes symbolise indulgence in the arts because very few could afford to be painters let alone favour the arts. The pot of different types of flowers symbolises innocence as well as impermanence - a reminder of the shortness of our existence and the fleeting nature of life’s earthly pleasures. The bottle of wine represents wealthiness as only the rich could afford wines. The rolled paper symbolises knowledge and education. Before Liechtenstein started to paint still life artwork, he had found his style of mimicking commercial printing by the mid-1960s. He is best known for his large paintings and prints based on comic-strip illustrations which were controversial at that time and were criticised for using trivial objects as subject matter. Hence why he started to explore the theme of still lifes by incorporating his printmaking skill to create a comic-based still life artwork. Although both of the artists uses different styles and techniques such as
In “Vanitas Still-Life”, the symbols in this composition hold a lot of meaning such as the skull represents death and shortness of life, the empty, tipped over wine glass and snuffed out candle symbolises that even though life might be rich and full of pleasures, someday it will still end. Then the books and writing quill are symbols of knowledge, but when placed with the skull, conveys the message- education is worthless because you will die anyway. And lastly, the style of this artwork is called Vanitas where symbolism are used to remind the viewer of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death. This style of still life has also been greatly affected by the medieval latin theory - Memento mori which means “remember that you must die” which aid the same meaning as Vanitas. On the other hand, “Still Life with Palette” conveys meaning through the white cloth which represents vanity as the silk being the expensive material. The paintbrushes symbolise indulgence in the arts because very few could afford to be painters let alone favour the arts. The pot of different types of flowers symbolises innocence as well as impermanence - a reminder of the shortness of our existence and the fleeting nature of life’s earthly pleasures. The bottle of wine represents wealthiness as only the rich could afford wines. The rolled paper symbolises knowledge and education. Before Liechtenstein started to paint still life artwork, he had found his style of mimicking commercial printing by the mid-1960s. He is best known for his large paintings and prints based on comic-strip illustrations which were controversial at that time and were criticised for using trivial objects as subject matter. Hence why he started to explore the theme of still lifes by incorporating his printmaking skill to create a comic-based still life artwork. Although both of the artists uses different styles and techniques such as