Beyond The Objects: The Grammar of Things
Still Life painting is often thought of as the lowest genre in painting: It is the thing you paint when learning to paint. However, throughout art history, there are moments when still life takes centerstage, such as the Dutch still life painters in the 17th century and the Impressionist paintings in the19th century, showing its versatility and importance. Still Life can be used to show Narrative, Time, Place, and Identity. This exhibition focuses on painting and sculpture done by artists exploring how object selection, compositional conventions, materiality of media, and the use of value and color can aid in delivering content and conveying stories implied in the objects artists may select to make work about. This exhibition, co-curated by professor Steven Pearson, the Joan Develin Coley Endowed Chair in Creative Expression and the Arts, and Danielle Silva, a senior Studio Art Major with a specialization in Graphic Design and Cinema Minor, is based on Student/Faculty 2025 Summer Research on the narrative possibilities of still life with Alexandra Combass ‘26, Marissa Riddell ‘26, Abigail Rubin ‘26, and Danielle Silva ’26. During summer research we read Looking at the Overlooked by Norman Bryson. Bryson’s book looks at the origins of still life and moves through western art history up to cubism. While Bryson connects still life to the “low plane reality” of daily life through the objects presented on the tables in the paintings, it also links it to broader cultural conversations by discussing what is sometimes seen around and beyond the still life. The students and the artists invited to participate in this exhibition address the everyday, bring mystery and curiosity to the mundane, allude to current events, touch on identity, and remind us that life is fleeting. We invite you to look beyond the objects, understand the grammar in the things depicted, and find the stories that are hidden in still life as exciting as we do
