Still Life Art Analysis

For centuries, artists have made still-life artworks as a response to the world around them, preserving both material possessions and concepts in their works. Two display examples of this are Dutch Golden Age still life painter, Pieter Claesz (executed works include ‘Vanitas with Violin and Glass Ball’ and ‘Nature morte au crabe’), and British, eccentric, contemporary artist, Damien Hirst (creator of iconic works ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ and ‘Chicken’). Although these artists and their works have fundamental differences, their works both capture and reflect the outside world, and their beliefs. Their ideas and things they place value on often contradict that of the outside world.

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Both of these works are filled with symbolism that reflects the time period and values in society. The first work, a prime example of a Vanitas, checks all the marks of a traditional Vanitas painting, yet somehow the composition and placement of objects gives the whole scene a haunting feel. It is painted with a subdued, virtually monochromatic palette, the subtle handling of light and texture being the prime means of expression. An overturned glass (a roemer, the cups that were used in that time), whose contents has been drained out, and a violin with its bow lying across its body, alludes to the brevity of all pleasures in life. Perhaps the most evocative symbols are the ones we hardly notice, the ones that not all artists used, and were unique to Claesz’s style. The skull is half-hidden and not the focal point of the painting, as if to act as a subtle reminder of death, rather than a conspicuous message (many artists such as Harmen Steenwijck and Edwaert Collier used a human skull as the centerpiece of their works). The artist also demonstrates his skill and isolates himself both visually, and from the rest of the art community, by controversially including his reflection in the glass ball. The reflection in the glass is a sign of fleeting existence. His ideas, mainly in this work, come from a desire to blend the still-life and self portrait genres, as painting still-lifes was seen as easy and pretentious. This painting is a response to the world in that he urges his viewers to focus less on material wealth and more on religion. Claesz’s other work, ‘Nature crabe au morte’ depicts an elaborate scene of exquisite foods, which at the time, were only available to the rich. This work is very ironic in that the crab looks like it is reaching for the lemon with its pincers, as if to eat it, but in