Exhibition Opportunities

Symbolism in Still Life

(January 3-March 16, 2012)

During the seventeenth century still life paintings became a popular subject in Western Europe. European artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Willem Kalf, and Juan Sánchez Cotán represented objects related to the exploration of nature and trade, such as flowers, shells, porcelain, textiles, and other luxurious objects. Many of these objects could also be found in encyclopedic collections that the wealthy kept in cabinets or in an entire room. Artists incorporated iconographic themes such as the five senses, four seasons, ages of man, vanitas, and others subjects into their still life paintings in order to elevate the rank of still life to that of a history painting. 

From the Rococo era through the nineteenth century, still life objects continued to be a popular subject. Rococo artists painted still lifes filled with luxury objects while Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin and others depicted humble objects in ordinary settings. American painter John F. Peto, a specialist of trompe l’oeil still lifes, often represented worn, rusty, and nostalgic objects. By the mid-to-later nineteenth century French artists Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, and others began to focus on formal innovations, which oftentimes was more important than the content. 

By the later twentieth century artists used the subject of still life as a means of expressing issues of diversity, identity, injustice, and morality. Photorealist Audrey Flack produced numerous vanitas still life paintings and others used the lifecycle of an object as a means of criticizing materialism in the world. Asian American, African American, and Latino artists represented cultural objects as symbols of affirmation and protest against a number of important issues.  

Local artists are invited to submit images of still lifes in any medium that address themes of culture, identity, justice, morality, and politics to the jury. The works of art must be appropriate for all ages.

Artists should send their resumé, exhibition history, artist statement, no more than five slides and a $15 non-refundable application fee ($5.00 for students with valid ID)  to The Gallery at TCC, 6501 S. 19^th St., Tacoma, WA 98466-6100. For more information, contact the gallery coordinator at 253.460.4306.   DEADLINE: November 18, 2011

THE FIVE SENSES

A still life will be setup in the Gallery with objects representing the five senses.  The public is invited to create a drawing or painting from the still life on a 10” x 15” piece of paper (provided by the gallery) and will be put on display in the front area of the gallery. Members of the public may also pick up a 10” x 15” piece of paper and submit their own drawing or painting of the five senses to the gallery staff for consideration in the display. No deadline.