Put in the right light. Still life / Ins rechte Licht gerückt. Stillleben

The “still life,” derived from the Dutch word “stilleven,” refers to a painting that reproduces an arrangement of inanimate objects on a surface. It can be found on wall paintings and mosaics as early as antiquity, but it was not until around 1600 that the still life slowly developed into an independent pictorial genre. It experienced an upswing in Dutch painting in the 17th century. From here it spread throughout Europe. While the still lifes of the 17th century had allegorical significance, referring to the transience of all life and the presence of death, this moral message of the pictorial genre was increasingly lost in the following centuries.
Finally, in the 19th century, still life flourished again. The Impressionist painters in particular revived the genre. Paul Cézanne, for example, used all possibilities in his paintings to put the arranged objects and fruits in the right light. The often intense play of colors was underlined by colorfully patterned tablecloths, decorative wallpaper or paintings on the walls in the background.

Many painters who were active in Dachau between 1880 and 1914 also demonstrated their painting skills in still lifes. The Picture Gallery presents an overview of still life painting in the Dachau Artists’ Colony with pictures from its own holdings and loans from private collections.

> Website Gemäldegalerie Dachau

Photo: Fritz Strobentz (1856-1929), Flower Still Life with Frog, c. 1900, oil on canvas, 76.5 x 66.2 cm, City of Dachau