extra messages and have been used for many years, though lost (the The focus on commodity fetishism in still-life paintings from this era tends to ignore the colonial histories outside the frame, but they are central to the understanding of these works. Prominent Academicians of the early 17th century, such as Andrea Sacchi, felt that genre and still-life painting did not carry the "gravitas" merited for painting to be considered great. Flowers have long been included as a still life subject. It can signify love, knowledge, wisdom, joy, and death. The rose for instance, stands for love, the lily for purity, and the sunflower for devotion. Harvests from the sea were also used, especially the Flemish Masters due to their close proximity to the sea and the diverse commerce of the time. When extinguished, it means death, or the loss of virginity, and the corruption of matter.It can symbolize light in the darkness of a lonely individual, or the light of Christ, purification or cleansing. A still life (also known by its French title, nature morte) painting is a piece that features an arrangement of inanimate objects as its subject. The spiritual is made explicit in Antonio de Pereda’s The Dream of the Knight, in which an angel shows a materialistic knight the true path to salvation (Credit: Rasbaf Madrid). A still life (from the Dutch, stilleven) is a painting featuring an arrangement of inanimate, everyday objects, whether natural objects (flowers, food, wine, dead fish, and game, etc.) This creates a deeper meaning in a work besides being a pretty picture! In the current century artists such as Sharon Core, Ori Gersht and Peter Jones are continuing to find new inspiration in the subject, using traditional motifs in a contemporary manner, which, just like their forebears, cause us to question the world around us. With the development of art academies around Europe that propagated the hierarchy of genres, still life slowly fell behind and was less practiced than other genre forms. However whilst Brueghel’s attention to detail saw him travel from city to city to paint individual flowers the fact that he, like many later Dutch flower painters, included flowers which bloom at different times within a single canvas, means that they could never be mistaken for the real thing. The Spanish had a unique form of vanitas called Desengaños del Mundo (Disenchantments of the World) related to the Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying Well) texts which prepared Christians for Death. It can indicate the passing of time, faith in God (when its burning). An influential formulation of 1667 by André Félibien, a historiographer, architect and theoretician of French classicism became the classic statement of the theory of the hierarchy of genres for the 18th century: More subtle imagery can be found in paintings such as Osias Beert’s Still Life With Cherries and Strawberries in China Bowls. A young servant girl is seen crushing garlic to serve with fish, a Lenten meal emphasised by the presence of two eggs on a second plate. The bee, as well as the butterfly, are symbols of hope, and because they are rather delicate, are a reminder to the fragility of life. They also symbolize man entrapped by earthly and sensual desires. Artists during the renaissance era also used things like monkeys, parrots and other birds, and cats. The butterfly was their symbol of salvation whilst evil took the form of a Dragonfly, considered a subspecies of the fly and thus close to the devil. ). Still-life painting has existed since time immemorial and offered us some of the most sublimely beautiful painting in art history. I would love to hear your comments below! Both were aware that this apparently lowly genre offered opportunities for moral contemplation, scientific study and even ground-breaking experiments into what art itself could be. Paintings of elaborate banquets usually refer to the culture of sumptuous luxury, but in modern, contemporary circles, it can refer to the gluttony of modern times. They weren’t called still life, but rather, Fruit or Flower pieces. It is phallic, (with the sheath representing the female reproductive parts) and many paintings with soldiers, swords and women in the painting had the sexual overtones within their meaning. Birds, or a pair of birds represent the resurrection of the soul after death.The mouse, being a very fertile animal, became a symbol of lechery and destruction.Ivy, as an evergreen symbolizes eternal life. The subject matter is inanimate and never moves, typically with a focus on household objects, flowers, or fruits. Read my review of this course, and yes, the course did teach this old dog some new tricks. The Knight’s Dream by Antonio de Pereda, in which a sleeping man is shown with the luxurious contents of his dream spread out before him, is one of the most celebrated examples of this type. Books: learning or of transmitting knowledge.The Lute (a really old version of a guitar) with broken strings: Death or discord.The candle, itâs a big one and has lots of meanings. These are just some of the major symbols, as there are hundreds that can be found. What do we mean by still life symbolism? They can symbolize innocence, the four seasons, or religious symbols. Although still-life is often associated with hidden symbolism, these early works were primarily concerned with rendering their subject in fine detail. Around the time of his Disasters of War series, Goya painted still lifes that featured dead animals – perhaps as a memento mori (Credit: Museo Nacional del Prado). Still life is defined as a collection of inanimate objects arranged together in a specific way. It symbolizes power, protection, authority, strength, courage. Still-life painting has existed since time immemorial and offered us some of the most sublimely beautiful painting in art history. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter. However, for a modern audience, these still-life scenes can look like just random supermarket objects.