Oil painting has many main directions and genres, and before we get to know them, let’s first understand what “painting” generally means. One of the types of fine art is the creation of paintings by artists to convey the objective world through colored paints on the surface of the canvas. You can directly convey space and volume on a flat canvas, revealing the complex range of human feelings and embodying any ideas that come to mind. Like any other art, the creators are driven by soul and emotions, and they transfer this to their creation.
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The main feature of painting is that through color it is possible to express associations, emotions and feelings – the right color for the painter, which creates a palette of the right shades, which ultimately transforms into color on the canvas – also called color order. And depending on how cold or warm it is, major or minor, tense or relaxing, bright and dark, thereby expressing the mood of the oil painting. Painting is divided into types, each of which has its own different specific themes and for the solution of which, artists are able to perform those tasks and executions for the final result of their creation (painting). The types include, – it is decorative painting, theater-decorative painting, there are miniatures, as well as icon painting, but the pictorial approach, can be used in other types of fine arts – sculpture, graphics, drawing. All of them are similar in all basic principles, they only differ in execution and the mechanism of work until their final result.
Painting can depict many events and objects from the surrounding world, as well as more abstract phenomena, where the presentation is through colors and shapes, thereby determining the desired association for the viewer, as is the case in the abstraction genre. The main genres that served as the foundation for artists to create masterpieces: landscapes, portraits, still lifes, as well as everyday/genre, battle, historical, animalistic and mythological genres. It is also no exception to combine elements from other genres, for example, historical or mythological subjects are perfect for portraits. As a base, then it is clear – the artist is at liberty to use and mix elements from different genres into a single cauldron, the main thing is that it creates that very oil painting for the ages.
Oil painting can be monumental, easel and decorative – further we will analyze each of them. So, the canvas for a painting can be mounted on an easel and stretched on a stretcher, which is called as easel painting. It is also based on works that are made with oil paints on canvas/cardboard/wooden boards/orgalite and represents of all three – the most massive and it is this type that applies just to the term “painting”.
And moving on to monumental painting, which is considered one of the oldest types, its differences from easel painting are that the main object for painting is not the canvas, but the walls of buildings in their design or architectural elements. The use of water-based paints on wet plaster, and this technique spread well throughout Europe, popularly known under the name fresco, will eventually become the main one for religious temples and churches. Starting from the Paleolithic era, as the germs of its origin, until the times of antiquity, where it absorbed the peak of popularity, and thanks to the durability of works in monumental painting, numerous examples have been preserved and have remained from almost all cultures, preserved for viewers who can enjoy the relics of antiquity.
And very briefly, decorative painting is a drawing technique that artists apply images to objects and details of the interior of a house, such as walls or furniture, as well as to various decorative objects. In general, we have sorted out the techniques, it’s time to move on to the most delicious and to the analysis of one of the genres of painting, like still lifes.
Paintings of Oil – Still Life Genre
The power of any genre of painting is in the artist who brings his whole soul to the canvas and touches on a subject that may have been brought with him by experience or revealing a bright and poignant topic for discussion with people. Although still lifes seem simple at first glance, they also convey meaning to a person – a picturesque world in which objects seem to get their second wind and, if given a clear definition from the French translation, then this is “dead nature” or “motionless life”. It is important to note that an oil painting is not just a composition of various objects from life, but is also a story that is revealed through objects on the stage. And these objects are included as items from the environment and must be inanimate, for example, if there is a bird in the still life, it must be not alive, if there is a fish, it must be caught, flowers must be cut. This principle is applied in still life, although it contradicts the aesthetics of pictorial representation, but for this genre it is redeemed by the attentive transfer of the peculiarities of the depicted objects themselves.
Let’s take an example from the artist Varvarov with his oil painting “Dad’s glasses” – is a still life with glasses lying on a notebook and surrounded by art materials, which conveys the atmosphere of the creative process and reflection of the artist. These items not only symbolize the image of a person’s workplace, but also show the level of intelligence, creativity and search for inspiration at work, where each process is described for oneself in notes for further analysis. An open notebook and glasses can convey the meaning that work is on pause or a person is simply in a moment of reflection and rethinking about his work and comprehending ideas. And the tubes of paints in the background show that this is not a writer, but an artist who is preparing the work through text and sketches before his next oil painting masterpiece is ready.
The artist’s use of soft and neutral colors for his oil painting creates a very calm and focused atmosphere – thus emphasizing how immersed the artist can be in the idea of his thoughts and the creation of his creative process. Even the most ordinary things are worked out with careful detail, such as the lenses on glasses or the lines on a notebook and the textures of objects, giving the oil painting only more realism and depth. Allows the viewer to feel the presence and reality of the depicted scene, as if this is not just an oil painting in front of you. Still life from Varvarov reminds us that creativity requires not only physical labor, but also mental activity, reflection and the search for inspiration – without such foundations, any creative process slides to zero.
Moving away from the analysis of oil paintings, according to most art critics, still lifes and landscapes in the genre of painting are like a revelation of the artist’s inner world through the connection between living and nonliving things existing in this world. The main trick or as you can say beautifully “genius” of the two genres – landscapes and still lifes – is that on the canvases the viewer gets a delight from the beauty of those scenes that see on an oil painting and that in normal circumstances in life, would not even pay attention. For example, how a vase of flowers and fruits nearby can be harmoniously combined on a table – creating such a balance of natural gifts in shades of the same color scheme.
The oil painting we see from the example is from the artist Svatoslav Yushkov with the title “Stonecrop and apples” – the central location of the bouquet draws attention to its splendor and beauty, and the apples complement the composition, creating the balance of natural decorations already mentioned above. The artist uses warm shades of yellow, green and pink, thereby creating a cozy and joyful atmosphere in the still life, as well as the contrast between apples and flowers, as if creating brightness and liveliness for the painting. If you look carefully, you can see that the artist has worked on the texture of flowers and leaves – creating a feeling of volume and realism, and the soft strokes that are in the painting give tenderness and lightness, emphasizing how fragile and graceful flowers can be. Yushkov tries to convey through his oil painting that natural elements can create coziness and joy in everyday life, and she reminds the importance of simple but meaningful moments as bringing joy and inspiration to everyone.
Paintings of Oil in Dutch Still Life
Still lifes have their own era of origin and it is considered to be in the period from the 15th to the 16th centuries, and in this era it had not yet taken shape as an independent genre – images of flowers or the same household items served to a large extent as a background for oil paintings, and was not the main plot. And a little later, already in the 17th century, artists began to create canvases that can be safely called in the genre of still lifes – depicting kitchen items or food, showing how beautiful and elegant the decorations on the table can be. And the place of origin was Holland and at that moment there was a surge of economic and cultural prosperity, being the trading center of Northern Europe. Thus, paintings from Holland often found their way to other countries, so that they became not only generally recognized for just one country, but throughout the world. And oil paintings in the genre of still lifes were intended in Holland and around the world, both for decorating interiors and had a more intimate composition format – reflecting the everyday rich and luxurious life of the Dutch people.
Let’s look at one of these oil paintings called “Shrimp on the table” – as befits a Dutch still life, it depicts a variety of objects and products conveying an atmosphere of wealth and abundance. Such as a silver goblet, fruit (grapes and peaches), a large porcelain vessel, a lobster on a silver platter, oysters and a glass of wine are all placed on rich fabric, creating a complex and rich composition. The abundance of objects and products symbolizes wealth and luxury – lobster, oysters, silverware indicate a person’s high social status. Any painting, if the artist does not specifically lay down symbolism, then it is there in any case, for example, grapes are associated with fertility and prosperity, lobster – with exotic tastes and wealth, and silver objects emphasize sophistication and prestige. In his painting, the artist took into account such small elements of reflection details as highlights on silver or a lobster, and also worked on repelling shadows from objects – ultimately creating such an effect of realism and drama in painting. Oil painting allows us to look at everyday things from the side of beauty and sophistication, and that the banal abundance of food and objects, both in life and in painting, serve for us as symbols of prosperity and well-being.
As soon as we begin to plunge into the world of still lifes, we must not forget that Dutch painting laid the foundation that gave perception in figurative form and embodied man’s perception of the world in his relation to the objective world and nature. Naturally artists significantly expanded the range of topics touched to art and the first growth to the fact that the elements of everyday life or the same flowers became not part of the background composition to another genre, and became an independent genre, as still life. As one of the main facts, Dutch still life did not just record reality and not just the transfer of things and phenomena of a person’s spiritual life, but also the complete relationship between them. Oil still lifes from the past to modern viewers can be said to enter into dialogue on a historical level and inform us about important moral truths and problems, reminding us of the frailty of the existence of everyone and ourselves, as the meaning of human life.
As time goes on, Dutch still life paintings decline and for many – the aesthetics of oil painting had a great influence on artists from other countries, such as Germany and France – for many, these paintings became a model for subsequent generations of artists.
Paintings of Oil and Analysis of Still life components
Still life painting in which the artist creates a world of objects that is endowed with special emotions and meanings, for example, any composition is not just an arrangement of different objects, but also a story told through objects. When viewing still lifes, the viewer is led to believe that every detail here is important and symbolic, which conveys the desired response. The question remains, what basic laws do artists use to stage their still lifes?
1) Let’s start with the most important law – this is staging a still life through the choice of objects – they must be with meaning, and not just beautiful and simply because you want to stick some fruit on the canvas. For example, each object in a still life symbolizes something – grapes – fertility and abundance; a withered flower – fading youth. As you can see, in a still life almost all objects become important in meaning and not one of them seems as if it is superfluous. The artist has to find the right element of the objects so that the viewer, when viewing, can understand what emotions it evokes in him.
2) Having sorted out the staging go to the composition, each object should be in its place and creating the necessary harmonious combination of shapes and colors.
3) Light definitely plays an important role in painting an oil still life. It creates the mood given the theme of the painting; shadows from objects are also visible, which gives the objects volume and shape.
4) The artist experiments with the texture of objects so that their texture and surface is unique and different for each – this feature is extremely important for creating realism and the feeling of objects touching each other. It’s like you’re looking at static physics in an oil painting and it adds more advantages to realism.
As an example, let us give an analysis of an oil painting by the artist Victor Gaiduk, “A bouquet of flowers on the table” – this painting depicts a still life with flowers on a windowsill against the backdrop of a rural landscape, which conveys a feeling of comfort and harmony from a calm rural life. An open window and a view of nature emphasizes the importance of human connection with the environment – creates a feeling of freedom and unity with nature. The intensification is due to light and shadow, creating the feeling of a sunny warm day in front of us, giving the picture an atmosphere of home comfort, and the highlights on the leaves emphasize their texture and shape. Colors such as green, red, and blue add dynamism and liveliness through the contrast between rich colors and softer shades of palettes. The main idea of this oil painting is to convey the feeling of harmony and comfort of rural life and the artist strives to show how simple joys are in life. For example, flowers on the windowsill and the view from the window can bring joy and complete peace from what they see. The artist’s painting simply reminds the viewer that it is important to appreciate the moments and memories of life – to find beauty in the world around us and at the same time not forgetting its role as for simple pleasures in everyday life.
Paintings of Oil and Subgenres of Still Lifes
The development of still life paintings went up and many of its own branches or, in other words, subgenres began to appear. Like all other paintings, they have similarities to varieties and for general perception they were divided into types, and now we will briefly analyze them:
1) The most popular of the subgenres is considered floral – an unprecedented rush and surge in the purchase of various flowers and ornamental plants has given rise to artists depicting these objects in their oil paintings. Bright bouquets and delicate flowers – all this can be beautifully captured on canvas and convey to the audience how delightful flowers are in a home environment.
2) In addition to flowers, artists began to depict juicy fruits, delicious berries and the sophistication of the interior – and can be classified as a gastronomic subgenre. Each oil painting in its composition represents piquant scenes with hidden delicious details. In addition to food, flowers are often added to the table to add beauty to the feast.
3) Artists who often tell in their oil paintings about everyday things that can surround us and play an important role in our lives call the subgenre everyday. Examples of these things are cups, dishes, books, and other items of comfort and peace that create the atmosphere of the home.
4) Artists often depict church paraphernalia in their oil paintings – candles, icons, lamps, willow branches. And they can be either an independent subgenre – religious, or they can be used as elements for another composition. For example, there is food on the table and a candle next to it, which will give the viewer a romantic mood.
5) The hunting subgenre of still lifes becomes clearly controversial, because in these oil paintings the artists depict dead animals and, from an aesthetic point of view, few people will like them. The viewer will pay attention to the birds, the horns of bulls, and other attributes that will associate themselves with the animals.
All these subgenres have an equal degree of interest among viewers, and of those listed, this is only a small part of what there are, and for example, fish, kitchen, or more interesting oil paintings, like “blende”. When viewing, it seems that the painting is three-dimensional and realistic, that the details are difficult to distinguish from real ones, as if we were looking at a photograph. Artists have to come up with more and more new themes and plots so that their works of art can surprise with something, as was said earlier – the peak of popularity of still lifes is great, and the more difficult it is to find something that will hook a person. And the subgenres of still lifes come to the rescue, leaving their imprint in the hearts of the audience – enlivening everyday life and at the same time decorating it with aesthetics in every home.
Painting of Oil – Mixing With Other Genres
Like any other painting, still lifes borrow from other genres, and for example, let’s look at Tarabanov’s oil painting with the title “Autumn still life”. It is a still life with elements of abstraction genres, which creates a unique and rich composition – it depicts several jugs, fruits, a glass of wine and other elements on the table. All of them harmoniously fit into the overall tone of the composition and are combined with each other, which creates a feeling of abundance of the feast. The artist skillfully uses bright and saturated colors, like red, green, orange, and even found a place for black – so to speak, he makes the painting lively and dynamic. And the contrasts between light and dark areas of the painting add depth and volume; highlights on a glass of wine and fruit emphasize their texture and shape. The elaboration of such details as ceramics and glass tells us how the artist carefully approached the writing of his work – using simple elements to create it so tangible and with a touch of realism.
The background of Tarabanov’s oil painting resembles a landscape, only in an abstract form, both foliage and flowers in the form of red poppies are noticeable – complementing the composition with depth and connection with nature. The main idea of this painting is to convey a sense of joy, the beauty of everyday life, as well as the abundance of the feast – reminding us of such important aspects as enjoying life’s moments and appreciating the beauty around us. If you pay attention, you can find notes of impressionism in the oil painting; some elements on the canvas use bright colors and highlights, which are borrowed from this direction of painting.
Let’s move on to the conclusions: still lifes are an amazing genre of painting that takes us through delicate flowers in vases, ripe fruits on the table, precious jewelry and ordinary kitchen utensils. This genre of art allows you to look at the familiar of life from a completely different perspective – not only leaving behind the thought that what you see are ordinary objects, but showing their strengths, which sometimes makes you want to sharpen your gaze and admire them. But there are the immortal words of Blaise Pascal, who said: “Of all the genres of painting, I consider still life strange – it makes us admire a copy of those things that we don’t want to admire as originals.” Many people agree with his words – which of us often pays attention and spends a long time looking at the kitchen table with cutlery or fruit. Usually such compositions are given a cursory glance, but when the artist invests himself in showing objects from their life with such elegance and precision, you understand how great the talent is and sometimes it is impossible to take your eyes off. And then every viewer understands that still life is also art.
All examples of photographs and artists were kindly provided by Ukrainian Vintage Co.
