Still Life: a Gallimaufry

If I said ‘Still life‘ to you, I’d bet you’d immediately think of those ultra-realistic studies of fruits, cheeses and other good things cascading artfully from a shelf or plate in a painting by one of those 17th and 18th century Dutch painters who specialised in painting them. Like this, for instance, by Floris van Dijk in the Rijksmuseum:

Patti, who’s challenged us to produce still life images for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge #246 isn’t going to be a bit impressed by anyone who blogs only about images of Old Masters whose work happens to be in the public domain. She wants our own efforts. We can compose them; or we can find them, the unselfconscious efforts of others which we’ve spotted, and seized, and made our own.

I’ve got a rag-bag of images for her. The fish stall in Valencia which is my feature photo. The marvellous greengrocer in Cádiz, who daily displayed on the wall outside his tiny shop a tableau of some of the goods he had to offer:

Fruit and veg. from Spain; fermented and pickled vegetables from South Korea; and dried fish from there too. As well as a vase of flowers from home. All these in homage to Dutch Old Masters.

Market in Alicante
Market in Busan

Harlow Carr Gardens in Harrogate, England has a display in an Edwardian gardener’s shed. I was rather taken by these rusted tools.

In Barcelona, temporarily totally ignoring all the wonders on display in Gaudi’s Casa Vicens, I glanced out of the window to see a washing line still life:

And only the other week, in Canet de Mar, Catalonia, in the museum dedicated to Lluis Domenech i Montaner (Note to self: get that post about him written), I found an extraordinary still life with which to finish this post: the ephemera gathered into the studio of early 20th century photographer Eugenie Forcano.

Well, Patti, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve had a lot of fun. Thanks.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.

35 thoughts on “Still Life: a Gallimaufry”

  6. What a great and varied selection! I’m drawn to the washing line and intrigued by the mention of Lluis Domenech i Montaner and the promise of a longer post to come!

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  7. That last is purely bizarre but I’m a great admirer of his work so let’s have that post, please. 🤭❤️ The fish look horrified, as well they might! Favourite is the garden tools xx

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  9. Hooray to you, Margaret. You rose to the challenge and collected some wonderful “found” still life images! The fish stall in Valencia, the wash hanging on the line and the assorted collection of objects from the studio are all competing for my favorites. A terrific collection.

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  13. Varied and fun, Margaret! I don’t know how you do it, but your images always feels so alive(!). I think you are the first one I saw displaying fish!

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  14. I really enjoyed your take on this theme and particularly like the light and colour in garden tools. What a brilliant idea to use the camera to take found or arranged still lifes. Perhaps I should give it a try!
    I had to look up gallimaufry. What an interesting word though your collection deserves a more elegant term I think!

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