Still life painting- 'Vanitas'

Within this project I am looking at B&B interiors and concentrating on still life scenes in this environment. I am also trying to capture traces of human interaction to create a sense of personal identity and Englishness. I want to make my project as objective as possible, to create a realistic image of a B&B. I have chosen to research into still life paintings because it links vividly to my idea of photographing interiors and I can use my artistic knowledge to produce still life photographs. Still life paintings are very intriguing because of the way the objects used can reflect individual identity as well as cultural aspects.The way the objects are placed can also have personal qualities related to them, meaning human identity could be noticed. The idea of objects reflecting cultural identity is a stubject that I am going to explore further and complete as part of my theory research.

'Vanitas' is a still life painting that contains various objects that can symbolise the human life. I feel that with my project I am trying to capture objects that create the idea of human life and interaction, which is why the still life approach is an approriate style to research. In still life paintings all objects are staged and create a striking atmosphere with colour and texture. However, with my photography project I am going to keep it very truthful in an objective way to show Englisness and human identity within B&B's. I believe that the idea about cultural identity can come across within still life paintings because different objects can reflect culture within a specific country. I feel that some still life paintings can reflect the idea about Englishness through religious aspects and objects. Also I think these paintings can reflect an old era that I want to capture within my project. Overall, I believe that sill life paintings have definatley inspired this project and has helped me to understand the placement of ojects and how this can make a difference to the image.

Pieter Claesz

An example of a artists that works with the 'Vanitas' style of artwork is Pieter Claesz. I believe that his still-life peices are very unique, conveying a variety of ideas about life and death. I was inspired by the way Pieter works with the light to create a soft and subtle environment, which has always been a prime way for him to express his skill. I like the placement of the objects and feel that human interaction can be identified by this. The idea of human interaction is vivid within his paintings through the placement of objects and colouring. This is an idea that I want to show within my images to create an illusion of human involvement without human appearance. I believe that there is a lot of technique involved in still life paintings, through colouring, brush technique and even light positioning. Overall, I feel that the way the objects are placed in his paintings create a sense of human interaction, which is what I want to convey within my photography project.

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