The Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Classical Techniques, Composition, and Painting in Oil
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Description
A must-have reference book for today's artists and art students. Every artist needs to learn and master the still life.Written by a well-known artist and expert instructor, The Art of Still Life offers a comprehensive, contemporary approach to the subject that instructs artists on the foundation basics and advanced techniques they need for successful drawing and painting.In addition to Casey's stunning paintings, the work of over fifty past and present masters is included, so that the book will do double duty as a hardworking how-to manual and a visual treasure trove of some of the finest still life art throughout history and being created today. Read more
Publisher : Monacelli Studio
Publication date : February 18, 2020
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1580935486
ISBN-13 : 87
Item Weight : 4.54 pounds
Dimensions : 9.41 x 1.22 x 11.81 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #50,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #7 in Oil Painting #10 in Still Life Art #63 in Arts & Photography Study & Teaching
#7 in Oil Painting:
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Hardcover
First of all, this book is a great value and an amazing resource. My only critiques would be that it's a bit of a 'everything I know about painting' sort of thing and has some generic information, but that information may be useful to some people. Even on the pages with writing that isn't useful to me, the book is filled with the most amazing images of still life paintings. Honestly, it's worth getting for the images alone. I'd say the section on composition could use some work - it discusses basic principles of composition such as hierarchy and rhythm and balance and so on, but doesn't really discuss what these qualities accomplish. Deliberately breaking these 'rules' can lead to very effective images, and simply following them leads to a boring kind of harmony which may or may not be effective. The discussion of the history of still life paintings is really nice, but I can't help but feel that these paintings can do more than this history demonstrates, and many of the contemporary examples shown in the book are exciting in ways the old ones aren't. Having said all that, this is an amazing book. Although there aren't many discrete lessons, and not a lot of step-by-step instruction, it is very helpful and certainly gives you a very in depth idea of what goes into making very beautifully rendered still life paintings - or beautifully rendered paintings of any kind. If you like this kind of painting, you should not hesitate to check out this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024 by Nicholas
Format: Hardcover
This book is one of the best resources I’ve found on still life. It’s not just a collection of pretty pictures — it’s a true guide that breaks down the classical techniques and shows how they can be applied in a contemporary way. The author explains composition, lighting, and color theory in a way that feels practical, not overwhelming. I especially like how it mixes step-by-step instruction with examples from master painters. It’s inspiring to see how small details, like the placement of a single object, can completely change the balance of a painting. Whether you’re a beginner looking to build fundamentals or an experienced painter who wants to refine technique, this book is packed with value. I’ve already started applying the lessons to my own work and can see the improvement. Highly recommend for artists, art students, or anyone who loves the tradition of still life.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2025 by Ahmed Radhy
Format: Hardcover
As a classically trained artist and teacher I have a lot of books in my library. I use them both for myself and as teaching tools for my students. Without a doubt, "The Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Clasical Techniques, Composition, and Painting in Oil" is the best one I have as it combines most of my resources into one volume. If I were to write a book on classical painting, this would be what I would have written. In this book Casey covers all of the major and minor topics of painting. He is not dogmatic and shares loads of work from other painters, both contemporary and older masters. He treats the reader as an intelligent person who wants to understand, for example, in talking about form and planes, Casey shows how light works on the planes of an object and how objects that are further from the light source are affected. . He explains about color, science and art without it feeling overwhelming. He shows drawings in progress and how he makes marks to keep him on track. He talks about composition and unity. He has a very good list of materials. He shows his poster study for a painting and throughout the book Casey explains his reasoning. Finally, he shows a painting from start to finish, and starting begins with thinking about the set-up, setting it up and how it will be lit, the initial drawing, the poster study, transferring the drawing to the canvas/lines, and how he thinks and practices his tiling of paint to create form while thinking in planes and the light relationship. The images are wonderfully photographed and the paper quality is terrific. I feel that this is a one volume mini encyclopedia of how to approach painting and one I will be suggesting all of my students to buy.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021 by Elizabeth B. Tucker
Format: Hardcover
It’s impossible to praise this book enough! Excellent information packed with amazingly reproduced paintings. Todd is a true master!
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2026 by Ricardo Guimaraes
Format: Hardcover
As a former art student and teacher, but now a retired atttorney who is getting back to watercolor and gouache painting,I think this book is excellent I also enjoy the author's YouTube posts.
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026 by lbh
Format: Hardcover
I originally checked this book out of the library and read it cover to cover. I have had 3 years of art school and found this the most clearly written books on Still Life I have seen. I knew I wanted to have my own permanent copy, but dismayed that it had quickly sold out. There are some useful gems of chapters in here: Light (one of the most thorough and at the same time helpful I have seen anywhere); Modeling Forms (the primary reason I wanted my own copy - I do more portrait painting and his strategies for forms is also ideal for portraits); setting up a still life and the lighting for a still life. I found the many included paintings both by Mr Casey and others were great illustrations of his teaching points, but also an introduction to other fine still life painters. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021 by Carla's jottings
Format: Hardcover
Beautiful Book, very informative, wonderful layout. Highly recommend to Artists.
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2025 by Milusha1
Format: Hardcover
Very comprehensive guide to classical painting techniques. It fills in a few gaps that had been missing from most books. Great photos as well. Great value for the price. A must for any serious painter's library.
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022 by Chuck14203