An Approach to Painting Genres

The fleeting nature of life and the passage of time are some of the messages hidden behind compositions of inanimate objects, fruits and flowers. These compositions, rendered with carefully considered lighting, great mastery of colour and, often, remarkable attention to detail, offer us an image frozen in time. This is the genre of still life, which reached its greatest splendour throughout the 17th century in the Netherlands and the Iberian kingdoms, but which remains very much present in the art world today.

Painting genres emerged from classifying or categorising painting according to its subject matter. With this activity and “Great Events, Great Figures…, History”, we continue the series in which we can explore artistic genres through an online theoretical lecture, during which we will take a historical and theoretical journey, analysing the most representative works.

To complement this visit, an online lecture will take place beforehand, offering a general introduction to the characteristics of this type of painting. We will take a historical and theoretical journey through the genre and discover some of its most representative works. More information about the lecture here.

Image: Isidre Nonell. Still Life with Onions and Herring, 1910. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.