Dec 15th, 2020 • 7 minute read
Share
Curations with Jordan Holms: Still Life
Click/tap below to copy url
Still life is one of my favorite genres of painting. Instagram and TikTok might be where you find the most contemporary still lifes these days, but as an art form has been around for much longer. Edouard Manet once called still life “the touchstone of painting.” Characterized by an interest in the insentient, this genre of art has been popular across many movements, cultures, and periods of time.
Still life painting (also known by its French title, nature morte) typically features an arrangement of inanimate objects as its subject matter. Historically, these items would be set on a table and often include organic objects like fruit and flowers and household items like glassware and textiles. The term “still life” is derived from the Dutch word stilleven, which gained prominence during the 16th century. While it was during this time that the still life gained recognition as a genre, its roots date back to ancient times.
Still life was long regarded in the Western world as a lowly art form because it was thought to only require technical skill, not imagination. André Félibien, a 17th century court historian to King Louis 14th of France, established the so-called hierarchy of genres in 1669, ranking paintings according to a system of importance and value. He placed History painting (including historical, religious and mythological scenes) at the top, followed by Portraiture, Genre and Landscape. Still-life came in last, at the very bottom of the painting pile.
In spite of this, the painting of ordinary objects has persevered through the years and it’s apparent “lowliness” is why it remains one of my favorite kinds of painting. Today, the genre casts a much wider net in both aesthetics and concepts than it did in the 17th century. Each artist in this week’s curation takes up this genre in various ways that either build off of, nod to or completely dismantle the traditional still life.
Vanitas
Fish and lemons by Charles Basman is an excellent example of a painting that champions the tenants of the still life genre. A handful of smelt or maybe anchovies sit center stage on a creamy white table tablecloth, flanked by a couple of lemons and a seashell. The light is low and the background is a rich black, which is typical of a type of Dutch still life called vanitas. Vanitas paintings are inspired by memento mori, a genre of painting whose Latin name translates to “remember that you have to die.” Their composition often includes symbols of mortality such as dead animals and rotting fruits - all reminders of the passing of time and the fleeting nature of life. Usually featuring a black background, they reminded the viewer of the certainty of death and that all the wealthy objects, lavish feasts and luxurious settings painted by the artist ultimately did not matter.
Post-Impressionist
Pop
This tongue-in-cheek still life by artist Silas Borsos takes an unorthodox approach to the genre. Breaking down the conventions of the genre, Froot Loops, Still Life still makes reference to the traditions of the genre. The painterly style, composition, and lighting are all very distinctive aspects of a traditional still life, however, the subject matter places the painting distinctly in the present (or recent past for some of us). The pop cultural inflection of this work is reminiscent of famous pop artist such as Andy Warhol who famously used everyday commodities such as Campbell’s Soup cans and Brillo boxes as still life objects. The artist states: “Dead animals used to be a popular subject of still life paintings. Now in the 21st century –– talking cartoon animals with a penchant for slogans find their way onto our tables.”
Quilting
Recipe Quilt (Beef Empanadas) is a soft sculpture installation work by artist Jeanne Jalandoni that completely turns the still life genre on its head. Made from iron-on prints on cotton, lace, trim, fringe, and stuffing, this quilted masterpiece depicts the classic ingredients for beef empanadas (a popular filipino and latin dish) in textile form. Jaladoni writes that her work explores cultural identity, with a main focus on her Filipino American identity. Center stage in this work, five glistening empanadas dance tantalizing. This piece quite literally breaks down the still life by separating the subject matter into its individual components. The work is humorous and thoughtful all at once, and offers a refreshing take on the still life genre in a way that brings to the forefront the domestic labor (and women’s labor) that was often erased in traditional still lifes of lavish feasts.
Mid-Century
Often artists will turn to their immediate surroundings for inspiration when other subject matter is inaccessible or unwanted. In this acrylic painting, titled Cup of Brushes, by Linda Berkowitz, the artist uses her studio as observational source material for a still life. The simplicity and softness of this painting is reminiscent of a famous mid-century still life painter, Giorgio Morandi, who would obsessively paint the same vessels over and over again. One of the strengths of the still life genre is that simplicity can be its greatest asset, and this is demonstrated in Berkowitz’s careful, contemplative rendering of her studio tools.
Renaissance
Historically, shells of various kinds have played an important role as subject matter in the still life genre. In religious painting, clams or scalloped shells were intended to represent the Virgin Mary, Immaculate conception, Saints, and pilgrimages. However, in secular art the shell often symbolizes sensuality and eroticism. The famous painting, The Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli is an example of a work of art in which all of these conflicting meanings converge. Claire Price’s painting, Conch, combines elements of renaissance still life with collage and text elements. The integration of collage and text into still lifes paintings is a technique used by the Cubist artist Pablo Picasso. In Price’s work, it creates a stark contrast between the organic shape of the conch and the industrial aesthetic of the newspaper clipping and capital “A”, which, upon closer inspection, have a lot more visually in common with the shell that expected.
Baroque
Food is frequently a significant component of traditional still-life painting. Dutch artists in particular developed a particular interest for Baroque still life painting, often creating colossal canvases depicting breakfasts, banquet meals, and epic feasts, again hiding religious symbolism amongst the objects. Although there may be no discernable religious symbolism in Mollie Douthit’s Ends meet, decadent food is still the star of this painting. The thick, impasto brush strokes and rich color are enough to make my mouth water. About the painting Douthit writes “The work’s title, Ends meet, references that these were the end bits of the dough which always are a bit wonkier, I had put them in a smaller pan to bake separately. ‘Ends meet’ also references the idiom as this painting was made at the start of the COVID pandemic, and a week after I lost my job.”
Northern Rennaissance
Another common object that appears often in still life painting is plants and other flora. Northern Renaissance artists popularized still life iconography with their flower paintings. These pieces typically showcase colorful flora from different geographic regions and often do not feature other subject matter. One particular flower very commonly represented was tulips. In this work, artist Edwina Lucas opts for a contemporary twist on this classic by depicting a modern houseplant. This quiet little succulent is rendered in soft, brushy greens, with a subtle, but visceral all-over texturing. Often in still lifes, some aspect of the composition will be purposefully askew. The slight off-centeredness of the pot on its saucer injects this otherwise modest painting with an off-kilter dynamism.
Pulling It All Together
All of the works in this week’s curation bear the hallmarks of the still life genre in some shape or form. Hinging on the observation of the everyday, these works of art prove that even the most mundane objects can be made into masterpieces.
About Jordan Holms
Jordan Holms is an interdisciplinary artist who works primarily in painting, sculpture, and textiles. Her work examines how space is materialized, organized, and made to mean. She has exhibited internationally in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada and her work is held in multiple private collections. In addition to a solo exhibition at Marrow Gallery, her paintings have been included in a group show at SFMoMA Artists Gallery, a number of MFA survey exhibitions, featured at BAMPFA, and in Adidas’s San Francisco Market Street storefront. Most recently, Holms was a recipient of the Vermont Studio Center Artist Grant, where she was an artist-in-residence in February 2020. She is also a 2016-2019 recipient of the San Francisco Art Institute’s Graduate Fellowship Award. She earned a Master of Fine Arts and Master of Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2019, where she graduated with honors. Holms lives and works in San Francisco, California.