The Return of Still Life: Why Contemporary Realists Keep Painting Objects

Few genres have survived as many artistic revolutions as the still life. Throughout the centuries, painting has repeatedly shifted its attention from religious subjects to historical narratives, from portraiture to abstraction, from representation to conceptual art. Yet the still life has persisted. Today, it remains one of the most prominent genres within contemporary realism, appearing in the work of artists as different as Roberto Bernardi and Tjalf Sparnaay. The continued popularity of still life suggests that objects in art have never been merely seen as random objects. For centuries, artists have used them to reflect the values, anxieties, and aspirations of the societies in which they lived.

The still life reached its greatest prominence in the Dutch Republic of the seventeenth century. At a time when trade routes connected Europe to Asia, Africa and America, painters filled their canvases with imported citrus fruits, Chinese porcelain, Venetian glass, exotic shells, and expensive textiles. These works reflected a rapidly changing world shaped by commerce, wealth, and global exchange. Yet they were never simply records of material abundance. The objects themselves carried symbolic meaning. A peeled lemon could signify both luxury and transience. Flowers in full bloom hinted at inevitable decay. A half emptied glass or extinguished candle reminded viewers of the brevity of life.

This symbolic dimension reached its most explicit form in the tradition of the vanitas still life. Derived from the biblical phrase vanitas vanitatum, omnia vanitas (“vanity of vanities, all is vanity”), these paintings confronted viewers with the inevitability of death and the temporary nature of worldly achievement. Skulls, hourglasses, extinguished candles, wilting flowers, musical instruments, books, and luxury goods appeared together within carefully arranged compositions. Their purpose was not merely decorative. They served as visual meditations on mortality, reminding viewers that wealth, beauty, knowledge, and status ultimately disappear.

What makes the still life remarkable is its ability to absorb new meanings without losing its fundamental structure. While the objects depicted by contemporary realist painters differ dramatically from those of the seventeenth century, the underlying mechanism remains surprisingly similar. Artists continue to use objects as a way of talking about the world around them. The symbolic language has changed, but the impulse has not. This becomes particularly evident when looking at the subjects that dominate contemporary realist painting. Instead of silver goblets and imported fruit, we encounter candies, plastic packaging, fast food, toys, and mass produced consumer goods. These objects are every bit as representative of their historical moment as tulips and Chinese porcelain were four centuries ago. They speak of consumption, advertising, abundance, branding, and desire. If Dutch painters documented the rise of a global trading economy, contemporary realist painters often document a culture shaped by consumerism and visual seduction.

A contemporary example of the genre’s continued evolution can be found in the work of Jason de Graaf. His paintings frequently depict marbles, toys, water droplets, glass objects, and everyday items arranged in carefully constructed compositions. Like the Dutch still life painters of the seventeenth century, de Graaf transforms ordinary objects into subjects of prolonged observation. What might initially appear insignificant becomes worthy of attention through scale, precision, and isolation from its everyday context. While the objects themselves differ from the silverware, fruit, and imported luxury goods of historical still lifes, they fulfil a similar function. They reflect the visual environment of their own time and encourage viewers to look more carefully at things that are usually overlooked.

A different approach can be found in the work of Marc Dennis. Many of his paintings draw directly on the visual language of historical still life painting. Flowers, fruit, glass vessels, and carefully arranged objects recall Dutch and Flemish precedents, yet contemporary elements frequently enter the composition. Soap bubbles drift across meticulously rendered surfaces, insects interrupt otherwise pristine arrangements, and unexpected details challenge the sense of order traditionally associated with the genre. Rather than treating still life as a historical form, Dennis demonstrates its continued flexibility. His paintings acknowledge centuries of artistic tradition while showing that the genre remains open to reinterpretation.

This may explain why still life continues to thrive within contemporary realism. Unlike many other genres, it offers an unusually direct connection between the visual world and the values of a particular society. Objects reveal what pe…