THIRD GRADE . . . Painting a Still Life

Still Life by Desmond

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) is a famous Post Impressionist artist from France. He often focused on the arrangements in a still life as his choice of subject matter. Cezanne studied the shapes and angles of his arrangements to create a dynamic composition.
    The composition of a still life is the most important thing to consider. Objects are often arranged on a table top in a way to create interest, to highlight color, and to keep our eyes moving across the scene. We began our still life paintings with a large oval bowl and filled it with fruit. To make the composition more interesting, we made sure that our shapes overlapped. When objects overlap, it is important to understand which one goes in front. We learned that the object or figure lowest on the page should be the one in the front.

Still Life by Elle

   Focusing on color application, we learned how to mix colors to create a sense of depth. The inside of our bowl is slightly darker than the outside to show where the light is hitting the arrangement. As well, each shape of fruit could be highlighted to show light and shadow.
   For even more interest, some of us added patterns or designs on the canvas to give us the impression of wallpaper or a table cloth.

Here are a few more still life paintings to enjoy! To see all of our paintings, click on this link (Artsonia) to get to the Ranney School exhibit page at artsonia.com.

Still Life by Ethan S.

Still Life by James

Still Life by Layla

Still Life by Ava J.