the power of still lifecontemporary still life painting

The ancient academies of art formalised the classic genres of painting, of which Still Life for centuries was perhaps the Cinderella of its time. But the artists of the 20th century upset all of that and Still Life, in the hands of painters such as Picasso and Braque, Ben Nicolson and the Two Roberts, transcended all of the old rules.
It is the kind of painting that was seen as closest to its audience which recognised the everyday and personal elements of its compositions. It remains the kind of painting which communicates most clearly with the public, whether serious collectors or just somebody who falls in love with a particular collections of inanimate objects in a painting – jugs, books, ceramics, flowers, the bric-a-brac of everyday life.