Author Archives: Mark Mitchell

About Mark Mitchell

Dealers in 19th-20th Century British and Continental Works of Art

Why Do We Love the Landscape?

For thousands of years, the human race has been hooked by landscape art whatever the medium, although it only become a recognised genre of art in the late 15th century. There’s something special about landscape paintings; they somehow provide us … Continue reading

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The Importance of Composition in Art

As you are probably aware, still life paintings have changed significantly throughout history; although much of their subject matter has remained the same, composition and style has changed. The term composition refers the combination of all elements in the artwork, … Continue reading

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Still Life Mediums & Their Aesthetic Qualities

When many of us think of the term ‘still life painting’, what usually comes to mind is a traditional, incredibly realistic painting, which of course is a very generic image. Still life art is not restricted to the oil medium, … Continue reading

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The Connotations of Weather in Art

The weather has been a source of inspiration for artists throughout time, especially when considering landscape paintings. Here the main focus of the piece is often nature such as woodlands, rivers, and the coast. Of course, the weather is a … Continue reading

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A Brief History of Landscape Painting

Today, landscape paintings are created with a variety of characteristics; from painterly abstract styles, to vividly realistic; it is safe to say that the spectrum is incredibly broad. The evolution of landscape paintings is certainly interesting, you would have thought … Continue reading

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Food and Drink in Still Life: A Taste of the Modern Era

We have previously explored the connotations of fruit in art and still life paintings; however the depiction of food does not end there; other foods such as meat, fish, poultry, and cheese are found in still life paintings alongside an … Continue reading

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The Connotations of Fruit in Art and Still Life Paintings

“With an apple I will astonish Paris.” Paul Cézanne, (1839-1906)   Artistic depictions of fruit date back 3000 years to Ancient Egypt. Still life paintings of food were found in the majority of ancient Egyptian tombs, as people genuinely believed … Continue reading

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Vanessa Garwood: abstraction, reality and imagination

 Vanessa Garwood, Self-portrait One of our up-&-coming young artists, Vanessa Garwood was trained at the Charles Cecil Studios in Florence. She studied painting and sculpture, and later served a three-month sculpture apprenticeship in South Africa. This awareness of form in … Continue reading

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The Low Countries’ Use of Flowers in Still Life Paintings

The English term still life is derivative of the Dutch word stilleven, and the style has many connections to the country. In 15th-century Early Netherlandish (Flemish primitive) paintings, the borders of artwork often featured elaborate displays of flowers, animals, insects and, in the instance of the famous … Continue reading

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A Classical Cast to Art

George Weissbort (1928-2013), Still life with a statuette and pink roses The impact of the classical past on the art of the Renaissance, as well as upon literature, politics, philosophy and rhetoric, was so cataclysmic as to echo down the … Continue reading

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