still life
noun
plural still lifes
Definition of still life
1
: a picture consisting predominantly of inanimate objects
2
: the category of graphic arts concerned with inanimate subject matter
Examples of still life in a Sentence
an exhibit of still lifes
She prefers portraiture to still life.
Recent Examples on the Web
How might this still life yield a latent image capable of articulating another kind of existence, a runaway image that conveys the riot inside? — Longreads, "A Minor Figure," 20 July 2019 This unusual work, on loan from Dublin’s National Gallery of Ireland, combines portraiture, still life and religious narrative in a single rectangular canvas just under 2 feet high and twice as wide. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Review: 3 Velázquez paintings alone are reason to go, now, to this San Diego show," 26 June 2019 For still life: botanical illustrators too many to mention by name. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Know, "Denver Art Museum’s star curator, Timothy Standring, throws a show of his own work," 5 Aug. 2019 The late still lifes have been hung together in the show’s humble yet heart-rending penultimate room. — Washington Post, "Édouard Manet spent his final days in excruciating pain — and creating his most thrilling art," 7 June 2019 His first cover shot for Vogue, in fall 1943, resembled a Dutch still life, with its careful composition of that season’s accessories, including gloves, an oversize cocktail ring and a handbag. — Lesley M. M. Blume, WSJ, "Master Photographer Irving Penn’s First Major Painting Exhibition: An Exclusive Look," 6 Sep. 2018 As evidenced in her first book, Lulu Powers Food to Flowers (William Morrow), her trademark is lush, abundant arrangements that look as painterly as a still life. — Kathryn O’shea-evans, House Beautiful, "Lulu Powers' Overflowing Tablescape Is All About "More Is More"," 31 Dec. 2015 Beauchemin oversaw the interior color scheme and furniture placement while De Laat, like a Dutch painter composing a still life, created arrangements of objects and art. — Gisela Williams, ELLE Decor, "Going Dutch," 15 May 2012 Drawing sculptures at the Rodin Museum or copying a Chardin still life, learning in depth about the craft of painting, confirmed her desire to be an artist. — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, "Brooklyn’s Sarah Crowner Is Reinvigorating American Painting," 12 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'still life.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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