Theme #8: Still Life

November 15
Theme #8: Still Life

Project	Instructions	Supplies
Still life
	Several still life groups will be set up in the classroom	Student's choice
	Choose a grouping and spend at least one hour developing a drawing using the objects you see	Try using a media that you haven't tried yet
	Remember to start with an underdrawing to work out general placement and spatial relationships	Try drawing the same still life twice, with different media
	Also keep in mind that art involves interpretation, so you are not restricted to drawing exactly what you see in front of you
	Repeat - you will need to turn in at least 2 still lifes for this theme

Drapery study
	An assortment of fabric and paper pieces will be set up in the room	Student's choice
	Choose a draping and spend at least one hour developing a drawing using the materials you see	Use a different media for each study
	Repeat - you will need to turn in at least 2 drapery studies for this theme

Examples and Inspiration

A still life is a grouping of objects that are often related to one another through shape, material or purpose. Artists have been composing and creating still life subjects for many centuries.

Willem de Kooning. Still Life: Bowl, Pitcher and Jug. c. 1921.
Fineberg, Jonathan. Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being. Second edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.

Janet Fish. Black Vase with Daffodils. 1980.
Nancy G. Heller. Women Artists. Fourth edition. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 2003.

Market Stall

Frans Snyders. Market Stall. 1614.
Janson, H.W. and Anthony F. Janson. History of Art. Sixth edition. University of North Carolina, Wilmington: Prentice Hall, Inc., 2001.

Because this is such a well known genre, your challenge is to make the still life as interesting and lively as possible.

Boy with a Basket of Fruit

Caravaggio. Boy with a Basket of Fruit. c. 1593-94.
Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Revised Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: Prentice Hall Inc., and Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2005.

Rachel Ruysch. Flowers in a Vase. no date.
Sterling, Susan Fisher. Women Artists: The National Museum of Women in the Arts. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1995.

vanitas = an image in which all the objects symbolize the transience of life

Audrey Flack. Marilyn (Vanitas). 1977. 96" X 96".
Nancy G. Heller. Women Artists. Fourth edition. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 2003.

Consider new materials and methods. Also think about how you can make the still life arrangement reflect your own personality.

Robert Kogge. Untitled. 1989. Graphite on canvas. 24" X 36".
Betti, Claudia and Teel Sale. Drawing: A Contemporary Approach. Fourth edition. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1980.

Still Life with Basket of Apples

Paul Cezanne. Still Life with Basket of Apples. 1890 - 94.
Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Revised Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: Prentice Hall Inc., and Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2005.

Violin and Palette

Georges Braque. Violin and Palette. 1909 - 10.
Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Revised Second ed. Vol. 2. New York: Prentice Hall Inc., and Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2005.

Still Life with Chair Caning

Pablo Picasso. Still Life with Chair Caning. 1911 - 12.
Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art Through the Ages. (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996) Tenth ed., 1049.

Pablo Picasso. The Violin. 1913.
Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art Through the Ages. (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996) Tenth ed., 1049.

Drapery Studies

Leonardo da Vinci. Study of Drapery. c. 1473. Brush, gray wash, heightened with white on linen.
Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. Seventh edition. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2004.

Claudio Bravo. Package. 1969. Charcoal, pastel and sanguine.
Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understanding Art. Seventh edition. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2004.