Still life

Still life
              A painting,drawing or photograph of an arrangement of objects typically fruit or flowers.






Vanitas 

    

Is a type of symbolic work of art especially associated with still life paintings in the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th century. These paintings are usually enriched with morbid symbolism such as skulls, rotting food and dying flowers.The objects can also be seen as worthless objects. Other elements in the vanitas include wealth and wellbeing, earthly pleasures and sometimes eternal life.The skull is the focal point of the image and the main symbolisation as it is the universal symbol of death. There are so many different textures and forms within the vanitas.


 Irving Penn





His still lifes are very precise and organised and the composition is amazing in these image and there is amazing attention to detail to the images.I really like these images as they have a really strong contrast to them and they are bold images and really do make a statement within them. The images don't have a clear narrative. He looked at objects that obsessed him objects that have unusual forms  as he managed to see the beauty in all manners. Some of these pictures are almost disturbing but not overly disgusting as the disturbance is more from the way the images are lit almost in a clinical way like they are being operated on. They are definitely eye catching images as they have all these really bold and bright images the are also very very unique because of the way the images are lit,composed and the amazing colours in these images so much thought has gone into these images as they are very precise. These images are nothing like i have seen before and are truly striking.





John Blakemore






In contrast to Irvin Penn's work these are the complete opposite there is a very grey tonal range in the images they almost have a depressing mood to them as they lack any colour at all however i do like how this contrast with flowers how they are perceived as these big bright and colour objects yet he has chose to shoot them in this mood horrible grey tone. I don't really like how the images look psychically as i feel they lack character compared to Penn's work who is so outstanding and striking you could not miss them if you were to walk past them. I do however feel these images could be perceived as very elegant and delicate and they images do have a lot of texture in them and he has really thought about how  the images are framed and the flowers are placed just like Penn's has in his images as well.