Why does English call a "still life" what the Italians call "Natura Morta"

Il 27/04/2007 17:12, Jürgen Exner dixit:
wrote:
In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find the

Probably from German "Stillleben", literally meaning "quiet life".

Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".
Any idea of the origin of the opposite feelings across the pond?

I don't see much opposite at all. "quiet/still" is quite similar to "dead"
as is "life" to "nature" (most people will not think of rocks or water when
taking about nature. First thought is living things like trees or animals or
live flowers).

Now this is an interesting question!
Thanks to cityinvestor for bring me in such a quest.

Our Italian term "Natura morta" comes from French "Nature morte".
A page (in French, of course) with references to the Dutch "stilleven"
can be found on Wikipedia:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_morte
A more detailed document, always in French, is he
http://www.ac-rouen.fr/pedagogie/equ...ture_morte.pdf

It reports:
"L’expression nature morte apparaît au XVIIIe siècle, sans doute sous
l’influence des cercles académiques; Diderot dans ses /Salons/ parle de
«natures inanimées». Emile Littré dans le /Dictionnaire de la langue
française/ précise: «nature morte, se dit des animaux tués et,
particulièrement, du gibier, dont l’imitation exclusive forme un genre
particulier de peinture. Ce sont des natures mortes.»
Ces natures mortes de gibier, ou trophée de chasse apparaissent vers
1610 chez Snyders et seront célébrées, en France au XVIIe siècle chez
Oudry et Desportes."

Well, I'll try to translate:
"The term nature morte appear in XVIII C., surely under the influence of
the academic clubs; Diderot into his /Salons/ speaks of «inanimate
natures». Emile Littré in the /Dictionnaire de la langue française/
explains: «nature morte, it is told of killed animals and, particularly,
of small game, which exclusive imitation makes a particular painting
style. They are natures mortes.»
These natures mortes with critters, or hunting trophies appear around
1610 by Snyders and they are celebrated in France in XVII C. by Oudty
and Desportes."

The Dutch page of Wikipedia describes a "stilleven" (if I understand
correctly: it is Dutch for me...) like "a work made in studio" based
mainly on colors and tones.
But both on the Dutch and on the English pages there aren't references
to the "Nature Morte" term.

I guess the 1650 Dutch term is the oldest: the French/Italian version
must be more or less a joke about this style, being an oxymoron.
Of course, a photography of a squashed 'dillo on a Texas highway is not
a "still life", since it is not made in a studio: in this case I think
"dead nature" would be more appropriate.

Cyrus

--
I love to be mailed just by smart people:
perl -we 'print "\12\142\145\162\156\141\155\141\100\146".
\165\156\141\144\151\165\155\56\143\157\155\12\12" ;'
I feel better with Funadium.

" kaci ha scritto nel messaggio
t...
In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find the
Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".

What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?

Any idea of the origin of the opposite feelings across the pond?



"morta" means that doesnt have life and that doesnt move and therefore is
"still"

by by from a spaghetti eater.

schrieb:
In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find the
Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".

What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?

Any idea of the origin of the opposite feelings across the pond?

well in german it´s called "Stillleben" literally "still life", too

In alt.usage.english kaci wrote:

In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find the
Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori suggests:

The artistic genre of still life was formerly called Vanitas,
Latin for "vanity", because it was thought appropriate for each
such painting to include some kind of symbol of mortality in each picture;
these could be obvious ones like skulls, or subtler ones, like a flower
losing its petals. See the themes associated with the image of the skull

Grrr wrote:
In alt.usage.english Don Phillipson
wrote:

"Still life" is a type of painting characterized by
(1) No people in the picture (no portraits, no figures);

I was thinking about Cezanne the other day. He was the bourgeois'
favorite peasant painter because he hardly puts any nasty peasants in
his Provencal paintings.

Just the nice ones.
--
John Dean
Oxford

cyrusthevirus wrote:
Il 27/04/2007 17:12, Jürgen Exner dixit:
wrote:
In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find
the

Probably from German "Stillleben", literally meaning "quiet life".

Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".
Any idea of the origin of the opposite feelings across the pond?

I don't see much opposite at all. "quiet/still" is quite similar to
"dead" as is "life" to "nature" (most people will not think of rocks
or water when taking about nature. First thought is living things
like trees or animals or live flowers).

Now this is an interesting question!
Thanks to cityinvestor for bring me in such a quest.

Our Italian term "Natura morta" comes from French "Nature morte".
A page (in French, of course) with references to the Dutch "stilleven"
can be found on Wikipedia:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_morte
A more detailed document, always in French, is he
http://www.ac-rouen.fr/pedagogie/equ...ture_morte.pdf

It reports:
"L’expression nature morte apparaît au XVIIIe siècle, sans doute sous
l’influence des cercles académiques; Diderot dans ses /Salons/ parle
de «natures inanimées». Emile Littré dans le /Dictionnaire de la
langue française/ précise: «nature morte, se dit des animaux tués et,
particulièrement, du gibier, dont l’imitation exclusive forme un genre
particulier de peinture. Ce sont des natures mortes.»
Ces natures mortes de gibier, ou trophée de chasse apparaissent vers
1610 chez Snyders et seront célébrées, en France au XVIIe siècle chez
Oudry et Desportes."

Well, I'll try to translate:
"The term nature morte appear in XVIII C., surely under the influence
of the academic clubs; Diderot into his /Salons/ speaks of «inanimate
natures». Emile Littré in the /Dictionnaire de la langue française/
explains: «nature morte, it is told of killed animals and,
particularly, of small game, which exclusive imitation makes a
particular painting style. They are natures mortes.»
These natures mortes with critters, or hunting trophies appear around
1610 by Snyders and they are celebrated in France in XVII C. by Oudty
and Desportes."

The Dutch page of Wikipedia describes a "stilleven" (if I understand
correctly: it is Dutch for me...) like "a work made in studio" based
mainly on colors and tones.
But both on the Dutch and on the English pages there aren't references
to the "Nature Morte" term.

I guess the 1650 Dutch term is the oldest: the French/Italian version
must be more or less a joke about this style, being an oxymoron.
Of course, a photography of a squashed 'dillo on a Texas highway is
not a "still life", since it is not made in a studio: in this case I
think "dead nature" would be more appropriate.

Cyrus

OED says:
[f. still a. + life n., after Du. stilleven (in the 17th c. also stilstaand
leven, stilliggend leven). Cf. G. stillleben, in the 18th c. stillliegende
sachen (Zedler 1744).
The Du. expressions have been found only in the sense explained below,
but it is presumed that they were originally applied to representations not
of inanimate objects but of living things portrayed in a state of rest.]
a. Inanimate objects, such as fruits, flowers, dead game, vessels, etc.,
as represented in painting. (For other uses see still a. 5b.) Also fig.
b. A painting of such objects. Pl. still lifes.


Earliest cites:
1695 [R. Graham] Short Acc. Painters in Dryden's Dufresnoy's Art Paint. 277
His peculiar happiness in expressing all sorts of Animals, Fruit, Flowers,
and the Still-life. 1701 Wanley in Phil. Trans. XXV. 2004 In the Still life
indeed, the Eye is quickly deceiv'd. 1706 tr. De Piles' Art Paint. 440
Kneller+did also several Pieces in Still-Life exceedingly well. 1762–71 H.
Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Paint. (1786) III. 19 He painted still-life, oranges
and lemons, plate, damask curtains, cloths of gold, and that medley of
familiar objects that strike the ignorant vulgar.

Donna should be along shortly to give us a clearer idea of what "stilleven"
siginifies in Dutch.
--
John Dean
Oxford

Biljo White wrote:
" kaci wrote:
".

What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?

Parliament

arf!
--
John Dean
Oxford

ppp wrote:
" kaci ha scritto nel messaggio
t...
In looking up the American English meaning of "still life", I find
the Italians & French refer to it as "dead nature".

What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?

Any idea of the origin of the opposite feelings across the pond?



"morta" means that doesnt have life and that doesnt move and
therefore is "still"

This nature has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker ...
--
John Dean
Oxford

On Apr 27, 10:04 am, (Biljo White) wrote:
" kaci wrote:

".



What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?

Parliament

Great one!!! Could also be called Congress
--
Gator Bait

On 27 Apr 2007 15:04:13 GMT, Biljo White wrote:

What do the British call a photograph of fruits sitting on a table?
Parliament