Bottles

Still life imagery is a time honored form of artistic creation. Still life work of art depicts non-human subjects that are, according to Wikipedia... more

by Jeff Burgess

Title

Bottles

Artist

Jeff Burgess

Medium

Photograph - Fusion Photography

Description

Still life imagery is a time honored form of artistic creation. Still life work of art depicts non-human subjects that are, according to Wikipedia ￿typically commonplace objects which may be either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, or shells) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, and so on)￿. The form began in the Middle Ages and is included in Graeco-Roman art. It because more specialized in the sixteenth century within the Western Art world. The elements of still life are arranged in a way that emphasizes light and negative space. In Flemish Baroque painting it is combined with figure subjects. Often there are dead animals. Flowers are a common element. Still life can also encompass other types of painting or photography that has symbolic meaning or to produce what is termed a ￿slice of life￿. Some still life shows objects as flat and within an image.
Food is also an element in still life. I am particularly fond of the still life work of the French, Dutch, Flemish, and German painters. Artists that have produced particularly wonderful work include: Balthasar van der Ast, (c. 1593-1657), Basket of Fruits, (1622); George Flegel (1566-1638), a leading German specialist, Still Life with Stag Beetle; and Anne Vallayer-Coster, The Attributes of Painting, c. 1769. There is much to learn about the presentation of still life as it is a complex and vibrant form of art.
According to Wikipedia ￿In the last three decades of the 20th century, and in the early years of the 21st century, still life has expanded beyond the boundary of a frame. Especially in the wake of the computer age, and the rise of computer art and digital art the nature and definition of still life has changed. Some mixed media still-life work employing found objects, photography, video, and sound, and even spilling out from ceiling to floor, and filling an entire room in a gallery. Computer-generated graphics have expanded the techniques available to still-life artists. With the use of the video camera, still-life artists can even incorporate the viewer into their work￿. I am hopeful that my fusion photography will add to this genre.

Uploaded

February 17th, 2014