Still Life or Nature Morte?

"Still life," or nature morte in French, is a genre that traditionally focuses on inanimate objects like fruits, flowers, and everyday items, often arranged with attention to composition, light, and symbolism.

While the French term nature morte means "dead nature," reflecting the static quality of these objects, I find it limiting. I prefer the English term "still life," derived from the Dutch stilleven, which suggests that, though inanimate, the objects hold life, meaning, and emotion. A wilting flower or decaying fruit, for example, represents the ever-changing nature of life, highlighting its transient beauty and passage of time. Contemporary still life builds on this tradition, incorporating modern elements and exploring new approaches to abstraction, texture, and form. Whether classical or modern, still life invites viewers to reflect on the ordinary, revealing deeper beauty and meaning in the overlooked aspects of daily life.