A Still Life is composed of a variety of both animate and inanimate objects, such as utensils, foliage, and food (anything from man-made to natural), which are then arranged by the artist in a unique way.
The term “Still Life” was officially used to name a genre around the late 1500s into the 1600s (16th and 17th Century) in the Netherlands. It is translated from the Dutch word still leven.
The ranking system for paintings came from the Academic art movement, which sought to educate artists according to artistic principles and to distinguish between art and art done as a craft.
Modern Still Life prevailed during art movements like Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. During Post-Impressionism, van Gogh brought Still Life painting to life.
From ancient Egyptian tombs to Roman murals, from the realism of Dutch Vanitas to the hyper-realism of 21st Century photographs, the nature of Still Life paintings occupies a place in the visual arts world.