A still life is a work of art depicting objects, as opposed to the environment (landscape) or people (portraiture). The objects may be either natural or human-made, and are often used as symbols that represent larger ideas.

The main message of still life paintings before the 1700s was “life is short and death is inevitable.” This was represented through images of skulls, hour glasses or clocks, candles, fruit, flowers and food, including meat and game. Sometimes fruit and flowers are shown rotting or infested with insects. These kinds of symbols are known as ‘memento mori’- a Latin phrase meaning ‘remember you must die’, or ‘vanitas’ to remind us of the vanity (in the sense of worthlessness) of worldly pleasures and goods, and the passing of time.

Still life can be a celebration of material pleasures, or a warning that these pleasures are short-lived. It can also be an expression of the everyday, a depiction of mundane and ordinary things. Still life gives artists the freedom to experiment with visual elements of composition, form, colour, and textures. The power of observation and contemplation is heightened as common, everyday objects are given centre stage.

Still life is a focus of the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery collection, which is further supported by the biennial Still: National Still Life Awards.