Wandering through the halls of a museum sometimes becomes a philosophical experience. We enter a room to observe different expressions of art that, possibly, acquire a special meaning in our minds. Imagine that in this digital museum we will enter the still life room, the meaning of a space of homage to the elements of the Earth.
In a still life painting there are usually fruits and everything that looked like a beautiful ornament. At the beginning of time this technique was recognized as “still lifes”, later as “vases” and much later as decorative painting. But behind this garnishing technique there is much more than simple fruits or vegetables.
Meaning of still life
The phrase “still life” really has a lot more meaning than everyone imagines. The word “nature” originates from the Latin natura, which comes from natus, whose equivalent in Spanish is “to be born.”
The opposite of being born is and from this sense “still nature” is a phrase that gives off an interesting paradox. Determining a painting of flowers as a still life is in itself a reflection on life and nature.
How can life itself be portrayed through death? This is undoubtedly a philosophical walk away from the history of painting itself. Although art becomes a physical object to admire, the reality is that the paintings of this technique become a way of navigating one’s own existence.
Great painters not only portrayed the great moments of nature. There are different paintings that captured withered petals, almost rotten dark brown flowers. Many are a reminder of life. Although the flowers remain inanimate in the paintings for centuries, they determine the brevity of life.
“Whoever claims that their beauty or wealth is fixed forever lives in deception” – Vanitas
The history of ancient art of life and death
Until now the oldest still lifes were found in Egypt, some dating back to the 15th century BC. These include the representation of foods such as meat or fish and crops. The most famous was found in the Tomb of Menna, a site that details life all over its walls.
Menna was a scribe of the fields of the Lord of the two lands of upper and lower Egypt. His job was to supervise the field, agricultural activities, hunting and fishing. For this reason his tomb is full of representations of food and life.
However, it was not until the Renaissance that the art of ornament became popular. Paintings of flowers and colorful plant pieces became the center of attention in the 17th century, when Nordic artists captured everyday objects with greater precision and essence until they were brought to the vanitas.
The vanitas were the works inspired by the real meaning of still life. Memento mori, a genre of art that translates as “remember that you will die.” These pieces not only captured still life, but also incorporated human skulls, clocks, wine candles, and musical instruments; everything that reminded us of the mundane pleasures of life and the fleeting nature of time.
Now our tour of the still life room has ended and perhaps on your next visits you will be able to admire the paintings of great artists with greater meaning. Likewise, you will be able to remember that behind that beauty of colors there is a reminder of our mortality.