“Still Life”, Defined as “The depiction of inanimate objects arranged in a pleasing display”, the Ancient Egyptians painted still lifes of food and flowers as an offering to the gods, as well as a pictorial wish of things they could bring with them into the afterlife.
  The Greeks and Romans used still life to emphasize the importance of hospitality, offerings of food and water made by hosts for their guests, and Renaissance artists decorated the borders of their religious manuscripts with common items that they imbued with hidden symbolism.
  The art of Still Life has experienced an ebb and flow of importance throughout history. Though Edouard Manet called it “The touchstone of painting”, critics considered the genre to be the lowest of art forms, prompting Matisse’s wife, Amelie, to beg him to “stop painting those worthless still lifes!”
  In the month of October, 2024, the featured artists at the Seven Stars Gallery, Della Heywood, Trina Hunner, Louise Renehan and Sarah Whooley, will endeavor to uphold the tradition of seeing beauty in the objects of the everyday.