Hidden Meaning

Began with the Dutch using them to convey religious or moral meanings. Some pieces contemplated the meaning of life and death. A person's immortality.

Others had hidden meanings of vanity. Warnings about caring too much about wealth and earthly things. These paintings would have expensive items with an item dead or rotting. Such as a fancy vases and a skull together.

Later artists used still life paintings to experiment the styles they were creating like Picasso with Cubism.