Still Life Painting Notes

What is Still Life?

  • Still life is a genre of observational painting focusing on objects and elements of nature.
  • Artists use still life to explore composition, space, and light.
  • Still life typically depicts items representative of modern, everyday life and routines.
  • Painting still life is an accessible way to practice painting from life without needing a model (portraits) or venturing outside (landscapes).
  • It allows artists to document their lives through objects with personal, symbolic, or narrative significance.
  • Example: Jude Rae, SL425, 2020, oil on linen, 112 x 137.5cm

The Symbolism of Still Life

  • Historically, still life paintings served as reminders of the passing of time and the impermanence of life.
  • Memento mori or vanitas still life paintings depict the life of a person as a memorial and reminder of mortality.
    • Memento mori translates to "remember you must die."
    • Objects in these paintings carry symbolism related to human strengths, accomplishments, weaknesses, vices, and the inevitability of death.
    • Flowers, fruits, and animals symbolize specific meanings understood through religious texts and everyday sayings.
  • Example: Jean Siméon Chardin, The Ray, 1728, oil on canvas, 114 x 146cm

Margaret Olley (1923 - 2011)

  • One of Australia's most significant and prolific painters of the 20th century.
  • Born in Lismore, Australia in 1923; family moved between Muwillumbah, Cairns, and Brisbane during her childhood.
  • Education: East Sydney Technical College (now The National Art School) from 1943-1945.
  • Focused on traditional genres: still life, interior scenes, landscapes, and portraiture.
  • Predominantly used oils to capture the richness and vitality of colors and patterns.
  • Died in her Sydney home in 2011, surrounded by her work.
  • Legacy:
    • Completed hundreds of paintings and had 90 solo exhibitions.
    • A generous donor to public gallery collections.
    • Donated funds to the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales to purchase works by artists including Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Giorgio Morandi and Lucien Freud.
    • Donated at least 380 works from her collection to public galleries.
  • Examples:
    • Still Life with kettle, 1955, oil on canvas on hardboard, 68 x 90cm
    • Still Life with leaves, circa 1960, oil on hardboard, 77.5 x 103cm
    • Homage to Manet, 1987, oil on hardboard, 76 x 102cm
    • Portrait in the mirror, 1948, oil on cardboard, 56.3 x 72cm, collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales
    • Chinese screen and yellow room, 1996, oil on hardboard, 75 x 75cm
    • Ranunculus and pears, 2004, oil on hardboard, 76 x 101cm

Margaret Olley’s Home Studio

  • Olley painted at home, not in a separate studio, allowing her to work on multiple paintings throughout the day.
  • Different paintings were set up in different rooms to follow the changing natural light.
  • Each room, including the kitchen, had paints and easels.
  • This setup ensured she always had subject matter at hand to paint from life.
  • Her home was filled with:
    • Hundreds of artifacts from her travels.
    • Artworks collected from overseas and friends.
    • Postcards and posters of exhibitions.
    • Household items (decorative vases, flowers, fruit bowls, practical bowls, jugs, pots, and personal trinkets).
  • There was no imposed hierarchy in the arrangement of items.
    • A Degas sculpture might be next to a vase of plastic fruit, an old photograph, or a birthday card.
  • Familiarity with these objects through daily observation aided her painting process.
  • Her house and studio have been recreated at the Tweed Regional Gallery in Murwillumbah, NSW, preserving her legacy as an artist and benefactor.

Susan Jane Walp (1948 -)

  • Respected figurative painter known for intimate still life paintings.
  • Born in Pennsylvania, United States in 1948.
  • Studied painting and drawing in the 1960s and 1970s at institutions like The New York Studio of Painting and Sculpture, Boston University School of Fine Arts, and Brooklyn College (MFA program).
  • Turned to still life for a reprieve from figure painting.
  • Initially relied on her imagination but felt increasingly limited by the process.
  • Her Reflection on Still Life:
    • Still life revitalized her painting practice.
    • Her early work consisted of narrative, autobiographical figure compositions, which were entirely invented.
    • She felt limited by her imagination, echoing Cézanne's sentiment against imagination.
    • Still life provided a sense of grounding and temporary solace during times of confusion.
    • She initially viewed still life as temporary but has continued it for almost thirty years.
  • Examples:
    • Four Figs, Two Swans and Pair of Scissors, 2017, oil on linen, 27.5 x 25.4cm
    • Four Figs, Blueberries in a Turquoise Cup with Yellow Cloth, Poppy Pods and Kale Leaf, 2014, oil on linen, 21.9 x 22.2 cm
    • Crabapples in a Bowl with Scrunchie, 2011, oil on linen, 20.9 x 20.6 cm
    • Study for Sliced Cucumber, 1997, graphite/coloured pencil on hand-toned paper, 27.9 x 32.3cm
    • Study for Letter to Me with Indian Corn, 1994, graphite and coloured pencil on hand-toned paper, 20.3 x 22.8 cm
    • Study for Slice of Melon with Wild Rose, Seed pods, and Fork, 1995, graphite and coloured pencil on hand-toned paper, 26.7 x 33.6cm
    • Study for an Unfinished Painting, 1999, graphite, coloured pencil and egg tempera on hand-toned paper, 25.4 x 27.3cm